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CORNELL 

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JACOB  H.  SCHIFF 

Endowment  for  Studies 

IN 

Human  Civilization 


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Biographical  History 


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BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


JUDGE  WILLIAM    H.   ROBEKTSON. 

The  distinguished  gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this  memoir  had 
passed  his  seventy-fifth  mile-post  when  death  released  him  from  this  mortal 
life,  on  December  6,  1898,  and  could  look  back  with  just  pride  over  a  public 
career  replete  with  activity  and  usefulness.  No  one  who  has  been  a  citizen 
of  White  Plains  is  more  deserving  of  honorable  mention  in  the  present  work 
than  he. 

Mr.  Robertson  was  born  at  the  family  homestead  in  Bedford,  Westches- 
ter county,  October  10,  1823,  a  son  of  Henry  Robertson.  His  boyhood  was 
spent  on  his  father's  farm,  and  his  early  education  was  obtained  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  district  in  which  they  lived  and  at  Union  Academy,  in  Bedford. 
For  some  time  he  taught  school  in  Bedford  and  Lewisboro.  Early  selecting 
the  law  for  his  profession,  he  pursued  its  study  in  the  office  of  Judge  Robert 
S.  Hart,  in  Bedford,  and  in  1847  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  In  1854  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Odle  Close,  under  the  firm  name  of  Close  &  Rob- 
ertson, for  the  practice  of  law,  and  this  association  continued  until  his  death. 

The  Judge's  taste  for  politics  had  its  beginning  while  he  was  yet  in  his 
'teens.  He  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  Harrison  campaign  of  1840,  in  1844 
cast  his  first  presidential  vote,  for  Henry  Clay,  and  the  next  spring  was  elected 
to  the  position  of  superintendent  of  town  schools,  which  he  filled  for  several 
years.  He  was  four  times  supervisor  of  Bedford  and  twice  chairman  of  the 
board  of  supervisors. 

His  legislative  career  began  in  1848,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  assem- 
bly, and  he  was  re-elected  the  following  year.  In  1853  he  was  chosen  to  the 
state  senate,  where  he  at  once  took  a  prominent  position.  Among  the  public 
acts,  he  introduced  a  bill  for  establishing  the  department  of  public  instruc- 
tion, which  may  justly  be  considered  one  of  the  most  important  events  in  the 
educational  history  of  the  state.  In  1855  he  was  elected  county  judge,  was 
twice  re-elected  to  that  responsible  position,  and  thus  filled  the  office  twelve 
years.  He  served  six  years  as  inspector  of  the  Seventh  Brigade  of  New  York 
militia,  was  chairman  of  the  military  committee  appointed  by  Governor  Mor- 
gan in  1862  to  raise  and  organize  state  troops  in  the  eighth  senatorial  district, 
and  was  commissioned  to  superintend  the  draft  in  Westchester  county.  In 
i860  he  was  a  member  of  the  electoral  college,  and  voted  for  Abraham  Lin- 
coln.   He  supported  him  again  in  the  national  convention  of  1864,  and  during,. 


482  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

his  whole  administration  was  one  of  his  most  loyal  and  faithful  adherents. 
In  1866  he  was  elected  a  representative  to  the  fortieth  congress,  and  whiie  a. 
member  of  that  body  he  voted  for  the  impeachment  of  President  Johnson, 
and  took  an  active  part  in  the  legislation  which  led  to  the  restoration  of  the 
southern  states  to  the  Union. 

Judge  Robertson's  second  term  of  service  in  the  state  senate  began  m 
1872  and  continued  without  interruption  for  a  period  of  ten  years,  during 
the  last  eight  of  which  he  was  president  pro  tevi.  of  that  body.  He  served 
as  chairman  of  the  committees  on  commerce  and  navigation,  rules,  literature 
and  judiciary,  being  for  eight  years  at  the  head  of  the  judiciary  com- 
mittee, a  place  of  great  responsibility,  which  he  ably  filled.  In  1876  he 
was  one  of  three  gentlemen  who,  at  the  request  of  the  president,  visited 
Florida  to  supervise  the  counting  of  the  votes  for  the  office  of  president.  On 
two  occasions — in  1872  and  1879 — the  personal  and  political  friends  of  Judge 
Robertson  made  a  strong  effort  to  place  him  in  nomination  for  governor  of 
New  York,  and,  while  he  was  each  time  defeated,  the  support  given  him  was 
indeed  flattering. 

In  February,  1880,  Judge  Robertson  was  appointed  a  delegate  to  repre- 
sent his  state  in  the  national  convention  to  be  held  in  Chicago  in  June.  A 
vote  was  passed  at  the  state  convention  instructing  its  delegates  to  vote  as  a 
unit,  the  purpose  being  to  enable  the  majority  of  the  delegates  to  carry  it  en 
masse  for  General  Grant.  Soon  after  the  adjournment  of  the  state  conven- 
tion. Judge  Robertson  published  a  letter  in  the  Albany  Journal,  in  which  he 
repudiated  the  principles  of  the  unit  rule,  and  declared  for  Blaine.  The  let- 
ter attracted  attention  throughout  the  country  and  gave  its  author  great 
prominence  in  the  opposition  to  the  "third-term"  movement.  It  is  general- 
ly conceded  that  it  was  his  leadership  and  organizing  ability,  more  than  those 
of  any  other  man,  that  broke  the  power  of  the  "unit"  rule  in  Republican 
conventions  and  defeated  the  "third-term  "  candidate. 

In  March,  1881,  Mr.  Robertson  was  nominated  by  President  Garfield  for 
collector  of  the  port  of  New  York.  His  political  acts  having  been  distaste- 
ful to  the  senators  from  his  state,  they  demanded  the  withdrawal  of  his  nom- 
ination by  the  president.  This  being  refused,  a  bitter  contest  followed, 
which  was  ended  by  the  resignation  of  the  senators  in  May  and  the  comfirm- 
ation  of  Mr.  Robertson  soon  afterward.  He  did  not,  however,  assume  the 
collectorship  until  the  first  of  August,  and  the  legislature  (he  being  in  the 
senate)  did  not  adjourn  until  late  in  July.  His  judicial  and  legislative  ex- 
perience had  prepared  him  for   the   most  difficult   duty  of  the  position, the 

consideration  and  decision  of  intricate  points  of  revenue  law, — and  he  dis- 
charged its  obligations  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  importers  and  with  the  al- 
most universal  commendation  of  the  public  press. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  488 

Mr.  Robertson  was  conspicuous  and  influential  in  local  and  state  con- 
ventions for  many  years,  took  an  active  part  in  the  national  conventions  of 
1864,  1876,  1880  and  1884,  and  was  for  fifteen  years  a  member  of  the  Re- 
publican state  committee.  In  his  political  life  he  was  remarkably  successful, 
having  never  been  defeated  when  a  candidate  before  the  people,  although  his 
principal  canvasses  have  been  made  in  a  district  in  which  the  party  majority 
■was  against  him,  He  achieved  this  result  by  the  strength  of  his  personal 
■character,  his  fidelity  to  friends,  his  sincere  and  uniform  courtesy,  his  unques- 
tioned integrity  and  his  legal  and  business  ability.  He  possessed,  in  an  un- 
usual degree,  the  "genius  of  common  sense,"  an  acute  knowledge  of  human 
nature  and  thorough  self-control.  He  was  also  of  a  literary  taste  and  of 
studious  habits,  and  valued  no  less  than  his  political  honors  the  degree  of 
LL.  D.,  which  was  conferred  upon  him   by  Williams  College  in  1876. 

In  1865  Judge  Robertson  married  Miss  Mary  E.  Ballard,  a  daughter  of 
Hon.  Horatio  Ballard,  who  was  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Cortland  county.  New 
York,  and  well  known  throughout  the  state.  In  1869  he  built  the  house  at 
Katonah  where  he  resided  until  his  death.  In  the  community  where  he 
lived  he  was  a  judicious  and  willing  counselor  of  all  who  sought  his  advice, 
a  liberal  contributor  to  religious  and  charitable  objects,  a  public-spirited  citi- 
zen and  a  valued  friend. 


GEORGE  N.    RIGBY. 


The  gentleman  whose  name  furnishes  the  title  to  this  brief  biographical 
•sketch  is  a  rising  lawyer  and  popular  citizen  of  Yonkers,  still  yojng  in  years 
and  with  worthy  achievements  which  foreshadow  his  future  success.  He 
received  his  primary  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Yonkers  and  was  grad- 
uated from  the  high  school  in  1891.  He  was  graduated  in  the  electrical 
engineering  course  at  Cornell  University  in  1895,  and  in  law  from  the  New 
York  Law  School  in  1897.  Thus  equipped  educationally,  and  endowed  with 
first-class  talents  intellectually,  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  Yonkers,  determined  that  his  career  at  the  bar  should  be  a  successful  one, 
and  he  is  amply  meeting  the  expectations  of  his  most  enthusiastic  well- 
wishers. 

He  early  took  an  interest  in  political  affairs  and  views  national  questions 
•from  a  Republican  point  of  view.  He  is  financial  secretary  of  the  Republic- 
an Club  of  Yonkers,  was  secretary  of  the  assembly  convention  of  1898,  and 
has  been  a  delegate  to  county,  judicial  and  various  other  conventions.  He 
has  ably  filled  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  since  November,  1896. 

Mr.  Rigby  is  a  member  of  the  Sigma  Alpha  Epsilon  and  other  college 
iraternities,  and  of  the  Cornell  University  Club,  of  New  York. 


484  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

He  was  married  April  6,  1897,  to  Miss  Maude  Lawrence,  of  Yonkers, 
daughter  of  William  Fred  and  Mary  (Weddle)  Lawrence. 

Franklin  H.  Rigby,  Mr.  Rigby's  father,  is  a  prominent  resident  of  Yon- 
ers,  and  is  connected  with  the  Prudential  Life  Insurance  Company  in  New 
York  city.  He  married  Mary  Mockridge,  daughter  of  George  N.  and  Marinda 
(Lyon)  Mockridge.  Her  father  was  a  wholesale  hardware  merchant  in  New- 
ark, New  Jersey,  and  her  mother  was  a  descendent  of  "  Robert  Bond,  the 
planter, "  of  Elizabethport,  and  also  of  Henry  Lyon,  a  founder  of  Lyon's  Farms, 
New  Jersey,  and  a  representative  of  another  distinguished  old  family  of  New 
Jersey.  Franklin  Rigby's  mother  was,  before  her  marriage.  Miss  Mary  E. 
Adams,  who  descended  in  the  Virginia  line  of  Adamses.  Elihu  Bond,  one  of 
the  ancestors  of  Mrs.  Franklin  Rigby,  was  captain  in  the  patriot  army  during 
the  Revolutionary  war,  and  performed  gallant  service  for  the  cause  of  inde- 
pendence. Mr.  Rigby  has  one  brother,  Frank  Rigby,  Jr.,  and  three  sisters, 
named  in  the  order  of  their  birth,  Norma,  Pansy  and   Florence. 

George  N.  Mockridge,  after  whom  George  N.  Rigby  was  named,  was  a 
son  of  Elihu  Mockridge,  who  was  one  of  Newark's  wealthiest  land-owners 
during  the  early  part  of  this  century.  The  old  homestead,  which  is  still  stand- 
ing on  Franklin  street,  has  been  used  by  the  family  for  over  one  hundred 
years,  and  is  still  entailed,  somewhat  after  the  manner  of  English  estates. 

Elihu  Mockridge  was  the  son  of  William  Mockridge,  who  came  over 
from  Wales  as  a  boy  some  time  before  the  Revolution.  He  married  Jonnah 
Baldwin,  who  was  a  descendant  of  Joseph  Baldwin  and  wife,  7ic'e  Sarah 
Cooley,  who  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  New  Jersey. 


HICKSON  F.  HART,  M.  D. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  the  leading  young  physicians  of  York- 
town,  New  York,  and  belongs  to  a  family  which  has  long  been  identified 
with  Westchester  county.  Hickson  Field  Hart,  his  grandfather,  was  one  of 
the  first  settlers  of  the  county.  He  married  Mary  Ann  Knowlton,  a  native 
of  the  county,  and  their  son  Stephen  L.  was  the  father  of  our  subject. 
Stephen  L.  Hart  and  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Jane  Drake  Morgan, 
are  the  parents  of  five  children,  namely:  Hickson  F.,  whose  name  heads 
this  sketch;  Alonzo  K.,  of  Peekskill,  New  York;  Stephen  B.,  engaged  in 
business  in  Brooklyn,  New  York;  Joseph  Waldo  and  Georgianna.  The  father 
has  long  been  a  man  of  prominence  in  the  county,  affiliating  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party  and  taking  an  active  interest  in  its  cause.  Several  terms  he  has 
served  as  sheriff  of  the  county.      He  is  now  engaged  in  farming. 

Hickson  Field  Hart  entered  the  Peekskill  Military  Academy  when  a  boy 
and  is  a  graduate  of  that  institution,  with  the  class  of  1882.     Then  he  took 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  485 

"up  the  study  of  medicine,  pursuing  his  studies  under  the  tuition  of  Dr.  A.  O. 
Snowdon,  of  Peekskill,  New  York,  and  in  due  time  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  this  profession.  For  six  years  he  has  been  located  at  Yorktown,  and  has 
been  successful  in  gaining  a  large  and  lucrative  practice  here.  The  Doctor 
is  a  member  of  the  Westchester  County  Medical  Society,  of  which  he  has 
served  as  vice-president,  and  is  also  a  prominent  member  of  the  New  York 
State  Medical  Society,  at  Albany. 

Dr.  Hart  was  married,  June  25,  1891,  to  Miss  Mona  Ward,  a  native  of 
Albany,  New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Ward  and  Maria  (Van  Buren) 
Ward,  his  wife.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ward  had  six  children,  of  whom  four  are 
living,  two  sons  and  two  daughters, — Julia  Robinson,  Mona,  Thomas  Ward, 
Jr.,  and  Albert.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hart  have  two  sons, — Ward  Van  Buren, 
born  October  2,  1893,  and  Morgan  Drake,  born  January  8,  1899.  Mrs. 
Hart  was  educated  in  Albany,  New  York,  and  is  a  woman  of  culture  and 
refinement.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  while  the  Doctor 
is  a  Methodist,  of  which  church  his  parents  are  members.  Socially  he  is 
identified  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  his  political  views 
are  those  set  forth  by  the  Democratic  party. 


HENRY  R.   HICKS. 


The  ancestral  history  of  the  Hicks  family  is  one  of  close  indentification 
•with  the  colony  of  Massachusetts.  The  Mayflower,  which  brought  the  little 
band  of  Pilgrims  to  the  shores  of  the  New  World,  was  followed  the  next 
year  by  the  stanch  little  barque  Fortune,  which,  sailing  from  London, 
arrived  at  Plymouth,  Massachusetts,  on  the  nth  of  November,  1621.  Among 
its  passengers  was  Robert  Hicks,  the  founder  of  the  family  in  America. 
He  was  a  leather-dresser  from  Bermondesey  street,  Southwark,  London. 
His  father,  James  Hicks,  was  lineally  descended  from  Sir  Ellis  Hicks,  who 
was  knighted  by  Edward,  the  Black  Prince,  on  the  battle-field  of  Poinctiers, 
Septem'ber  9,  1356,  for  bravery  in  capturing  a  set  of  colors  from  the  French. 
Margaret,  the  wife  of  Robert  Hicks,  with  her  children,  came  to  America  in 
the  ship  Ann,  which  arrived  at  Plymouth  in  the  latter  part  of  June,  1622. 
The  family  settled  in  Duxbury,  Massachusetts,  but  two  of  the  sons,  John 
and  Stephen,  about  1642,  removed  to  Long  Island.  In  October,  1645, 
Governor  Kieft  granted  a  patent  to  Thomas  Farrington,  John  Hicks  and 
others  for  ,the  township  of  Flushing,  Long  Island.  John  Hicks  seems  to 
have  taken  a  leading  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  settlement,  and  was  appointed 
at  various  times  to  fill  the  most  important  offices.  His  name  and  that  of 
his  son  Thomas  appear  in  connection  with  almost  every  public  measure  for 
many  years. 


486  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

Robert  Hicks  was  twice  married.  He  first  wedded  Elizabeth  Morgan 
and  had  four  children, — Elizabeth,  Thomas,  John  and  Stephen.  Before  leav- 
ing England  he  married  Margaret  Winslow,  and  their  four  children  were 
named  Samuel,  Ephraim,  Lydia  and  Phebe.  John  Hicks,  the  second  of  the 
family,  married  Rachel  Starr,  and  of  their  children — Thomas,  Hannah  and 
Elizabeth — the  eldest  was  the  second  in  the  line  of  descent  to  him  whose 
name  heads  this  sketch.  Thomas  Hicks  wedded  Mary  Washburn,  and  their 
children  were  Thomas  and  Jacob.  The  mother  died  and  he  later  married 
Mary  Doughty,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children,  namely:  Isaac,  William, 
Stephen,  John,  Charles,  Benjamin,  Phebe,  Charity,  Mary  and  Elizabeth.  Of 
this  family  Isaac  Hicks  married  a  lady  whose  first  name  was  Elizabeth,  but 
whose  surname  is  not  known.  Their  children  were  Charles,  Benjamin, 
Isaac,  Gilbert,  James,  Thomas,  Henry,  John,  Edward,  Margaret,  Mary. 
Isaac  Hicks,  the  son  of  Isaac  and  Elizabeth  Hicks,  married  Charity  Esmond, 
and  their  union  was  blessed  with  five  children,  Edward,  Charles,  Amy, 
Sarah  and  Margaret.  The  second  son,  Charles,  was  the  great-grandfather 
of  our  subject.  He  married  Mary  Hicks,  and  their  children  were  Rodman, 
Oliver,  Charles,  Sarah,  Philetta  and  Lindley. 

Oliver  Hicks,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  on  Long  Island 
and  there  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  He  married  Susan  Vermillyea, 
whose  father  was  a  resident  of  Horseneck,  Westchester  county.  By  occupa- 
tion he  was  a  farmer  and  at  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  war  he  loyally 
served  his  country  as  a  colonel  in  the  American  army.  Unto  Oliver  and 
Susan  Hicks  were  born  two  sons  and  three  daughters:  Charles,  Eliza,  Scott, 
Susan  A.  and  Jane. 

Charles  Hicks,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  on  Long  Island,  near 
Hicksville,  and  was  a  relative  of  the  celebrated  Elias  Hicks,  the  founder  of 
the  Hicksite  branch  of  Friends,  one  of  the  early  branches  of  that  society. 
Mr.  Hicks  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Schenck,  Downing  &  Company, 
dealers  in  paints  and  glass  at  Nos.  io6  and  io8  Fulton  street.  New  York  city, 
and  thus  continued  for  many  years,  having  formerly  been  engaged  in 
merchandising.  For  about  ten  years  before  his  death  he  lived  retired  from 
business  cares,  enjoying  a  well  earned  competence,  which  supplied  him  with 
all  the  necessities  and  many  of  the  luxuries  of  life.  In  politics  he  was  a 
stanch  Democrat,  but  voted  for  Abraham  Lincoln  and  was  a  strong  Union 
man,  placing  the  country's  good  before  party  preferment  at  the  time  of  the 
nation's  peril.  He  was  also  one  of  the  first  to  advocate  the  issue  of  bonds 
for  the  purpose  of  carrying  on  the  war.  In  his  early  life  he  served  as  a  cap- 
tain in  the  Twenty-seventh  Regiment  of  the  New  York  state  militia,  and  was 
ever  a  valued  citizen  of  the  community  in  which  he  made  his  home.  He 
died  May  29,  1866,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years.      His  wife,  who  bore   the 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  487 

maiden  name  of  Jane  Ann  Sackett,  was  a  representative  of  one  of  the  prom- 
inent old  families  of  Westchester  county.  She  is  deceased,  and,  like  the 
others  of  the  name,  lies  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Bedford. 

Henry  R.  Hicks,  the  only  child  of  Charles  and  Jane  A.  (Sackett)  Hicks,  was 
born  in  New  York  city,  December  14,  1835,  ^"d  pursued  his  education  in 
school  No.  7,  and  in  the  grammar  school  of  Columbia  College.  At  the  age 
of  sixteen  he  entered  upon  his  business  career,  securing  a  cletkship  with  the 
firm  of  John  Haslam  &  Sons,  hardware  merchants,  with  whom  he  continued 
until  1858,  and  after  that  was  in  the  employ  of  Read  &  Towsley  until  i860. 
From  that  year  until  1874  he  was  employed  in  the  engineering  department  of 
the  Brooklyn  navy  yard,  acting  as  storekeeper  from  1865  until  the  close  of 
his  connection  with  that  business.  On  resigning  his  place,  in  1874,  he 
retired  to  private  life  and  has  since  resided  in  the  seventh  ward  in  Yonkers, 
upon  a  farm  of  thirty  acres,  which  has  been  his  place  of  abode  for  thirty-six 
years.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Citizens  National  Bank,  and 
from  the  beginning  has  continuously  served  on  its  directorate,  he  and  Charles 
Dusenberry  being  the  only  charter  members  of  the  bank  who  are  now  acting 
as  directors. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Hicks  has  occupied  positions  of  distinctive  prefer- 
ment in  connection  with  the  public  life  of  Yonkers.  In  his  political  affilia- 
tions he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  has  long  been  a  recognized  leader  in  the 
ranks  of  the  party.  From  the  old  fourth  ward  of  the  city  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  city  council  in  1872,  and  served  in  that  capacity  for  six  con- 
secutive terms, — a  longer  continuous  service  than  any  other  member  of  that 
body.  His  long  retention  in  the  office  was  certainly  a  high  tribute  to  his 
ability  and  to  the  fidelity  with  which  he  discharged  his  duties,  and  for  three 
terms  he  had  the  honor  of  being  president  of  the  council.  He  exercised  his 
official  prerogative  for  the  benefit  and  progress  of  the  city,  supporting  all 
measures  which  he  believed  would  advance  the  general  welfare.  He  has 
been  one  of  the  police  commissioners  of  Yonkers  since  September,  1892,  when 
he  was  appointed  to  that  office,  and  by  reappointment,  received  in  1897,  he 
will  continue  to  serve  until  1901.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  Rising  Star 
Lodge  of  Masons. 

On  the  2ist  of  May,  1863,  Mr.  Hicks  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Isabell  Weed,  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Weed,  an  agriculturist  of  Yonkers.  They 
have  two  daughters:  Eveline  W.,  wife  of  Dr.  Karl  H.  Krober,  a  physician 
of  Yonkers;  and  Isabell,  wife  of  Rudolph  Eickemeyer,  Jr.  Such  in  brief  is 
the  history  of  one  who  for  many  years  has  been  a  distinguished  and  repre- 
sentative citizen  of  Yonkers.  In  all  his  business  dealing  and  official  duties  he 
has  been  scrupulously  exact  and  fair.  In  the  former  he  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful, as  the  result  of   ability,  discrimination  and  enterprise.     The  life  of 


488  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

such  a  man  is  an  object  lesson  of  real  value  to  the  observing  and  thoughtful. 
It  brings  out  prominently  the  characteristics  that  win,  offers  encouragement 
to  young  men  who  are  willing  to  work  with  their  minds  and  with  their  hands, 
and  aiiords  another  proof  of  the  familiar  adage  that  there  is  no  royal  road  to 
wealth  or  distinction  in  this  republic.  The^  achievement  depends  upon  the 
man. 

JACOB  READ. 

Mr.  Jacob  Read,  a  representative  of  the  Yonkers  people  who  were 
engaged  in  farming  during  1825  and  1855  ^^'^  intervening  years,  is  still  (1896) 
a  resident  of  the  town,  which  for  fifteen  years  he  served  as  supervisor.  In 
189s  he  said,  in  substance:  ' 

I  came  to  Yonkers  in  February,  1829,  when  a  boy  in  my  eleventh  year.  I  recall  distinctly 
the  prominent  farmers  of  Yonkers  from  1829  to  1855,  and  their  mode  of  life.  I  also  recall  the 
kind  of  crops  they  raised,  and  how  they  marketed  their  produce.  Through  the  '20s  and  '30s 
and  up  to  the  '40s,  the  principal  crops  were  pats,  rye,  wheat,  corn,  hay,  potatoes  and  pickles. 
The  potatoes  were  of  the  "blue  nose  "  and  "  kidney  "  variety.  Afterward  came  the  "Early 
Rose."  We  did  not  have,  as  farmers  do  now,  a  number  of  varieties,  all  dug  out  of  the  same 
hill.  The  fruits  were  apples,  peaches,  pears  and  cherries.  The  apples  were  "  Pound  Sweets," 
"  Catheads,"  and  "  Fall  Pippins."  The  peaches  of  Yonkers  in  the  latter  part  of  the  '30s  and  the 
first  of  the '40s  were  very  fine.  The  cherries  were  of  the  Dyckman  variety,  a  sour  cherry  and 
excellent.  We  used  to  call  tomatoes  "love  apples;"  but  nobody  ate  them.  I  never  ate  tomatoes 
until  1847.  We  had  good  walnuts  and  chestnuts.  The  garden  truck  the  farmers  raised  was 
for  their  own  use  only.  None  was  sent  to  market  until  1835.  All  the  cabbage  for  market,  for 
example,  was  raised  on  Bergen  Point  and  Long  Island.  Nor  did  the  Yonkers  farmers  send  any 
milk  to  New  York.  It  was  kept  in  milk-rooms,  for  there  were  no  ice-houses.  The  milk-rooms 
had  stone  bottoms,  and  were  cool.  Tables  in  those  days  were  supplied  with  plenty  of  fresh 
meat.  I  remember  that  Mr.  David  Horton,  with  whom  I  lived,  would  kill  a  sheep  in  summer, 
or  a  lamb  or  a  pig  in  the  fall,  so  as  to  have  fresh  meat,  and  would  send  a  quarter  over  to  Mr. 
Vermilye  Fowler's,  or  Mr.' Nattie  Valentine's,  or  Mr.  David  Oakley's;  and  when  they  killed,  they 
returned  the  favor.  The  poultry  in  the  farm-yards  also  supplied  the  tables.  Barrels  of  salted 
meats  and  hogsheads  of  cider,  as  also  butter,  lard,  turnips  and  potatoes  stocked  the  cellar- 
Blacksmiths,  wheelwrights  and  carpenters  made  many  agricultural  instruments  which  they  are 
not  expected  to  make  to-day. 

Beef  and  ham  were  smoked  in  the  farmers'  smoke-houses.  Up  to  1845  sheep  were  kept. 
The  lambs  were  sold  in  New  York.  A  man  came  up  from  Manhattan  island  during  a  period  of 
years  and  bought  lambs  of  the  farmers.  Pork  and  poultry  were  also  sent  to  New  York.  Large 
droves  of  cattle  and  sheep  from  the  north  passed  through  Yonkers  down  the  Albany  post-road. 
Perhaps  as  many  as  two  hundred  or  two  hundred  and  fifty  cows  and  from  three  hundred  to  five 
hundred  sheep  would  be  in  a  single  drove.  Two  or  three  men  or  two  men  and  a  boy  could 
manage  a  drove,  as  the  line  fences  were  all  up  and  the  gates  were  closed.  The  drovers  "  put 
up  "  at  old  Uncle  Post  Dyckman's,  on  the  other  side  of  Kingsbridge. 

Hay  was  sold  in  New  York.  Marketing  was  done  by  land  as  well  as  by  river.  A  team 
would  be  sent  to  New  York  with  a  load  on  Sunday  night  in  order  to  be  there  for  the  Monday 
morning  market.  The  team  was  returned  the  next  day  and  again  sent  down  on  Wednesday 
back  Thursday,  and  down  again  on  J-Viday.  Butter  sold  at  from  ten  cents  to  a  shilling  a  pound! 
Loose  sugar,  that  is,  brown  sugar  for  every-day  use,  was  purchased  in  quantities  of  seven 
pounds.     White  sugar  was  purchased  by  the  "  loaf."    A  "  loaf  "  of  white  sugar  weighed  about 


Jacob  Read. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  489 

ten  or  twelve  pounds.  It  was  more  expensive  than  brown  sugar.  We  didn't  see  any  of  that 
white  sugar  around  except  when  there  was  company.  Then  it  was  cut  off  the  loaf  and  placed 
on  the  table.  We  used  to  count  money  by  pounds,  shillings,  and  pence  up  to  about  1841.  "  One 
and  three  pence"  was  fifteen  cents;  "one  and  ninepence,"  twenty-two  cents;  "two  andtupence," 
twenty-seven  cents.  In  these  early  days  we  used  "  dips,"  that  is,  tallow  candles.  The  candles 
were  made  by  hanging  wicks  over  alder  rods  (from  which  the  bark  had  been  peeled)  and  dip- 
ping them  into  the  mixed  mutton  and  beef  tallow;  the  beef  tallow  hardened  the  candles.  The 
alder  rods  were  selected  because  they  were  light  and  easily  handled.  After  the  candles 
were  made  the  rods  were  carefully  stored  away  for  the  next  year's  use.  In  later  years 
sperm  oil  and  kerosene  oil  were  used.  Coal  was  not  in  use  in  Yonkers  until  about  1839  or 
1840.  Then  Mr  Ebenezer  Baldwin,  who  kept  a  lumber  yard,  brought  in  twenty  tons;  but  its 
sale  was  slow.  Nobody  at  first  h^d  a  coal-stove.  Everybody  used  open  fireplaces  or  "  Frank- 
hn  "  stoves.  The  "  Franklin''  was  used  in  parlors.  It  was  open  in  front  like  a  fire-place.  On 
one  side  stood  the  tongs  and  on  the  other  the  shovel,  their  brass  tops  polished  bright. 

I  recall  distinctly  the  routine  work  of  each  year  on  the  Yonkers  farms.  January  and 
February  were  the  months  in  which  wood  was  cut  for  summer  use.  Enough  wood  was  cut  in 
the  winter  to  last  all  summer.  Fire-wood  was  drawn  from  the  woods  by  ox  teams.  When  the 
snow  was  deep  we  could  put  a  chain  around  the  tree  we  had  chopped  down,  and,  with  our  oxen, 
■would  drag  the  tree  to  the  wood-shed,  breaking  a  road  through  the  snow,  which  in  those  winters 
fell  plentifully.  I  have  seen  it  three  feet  deep,  and  of  course  there  were  often  heavy  drifts.  We 
used  to  pile  the  woodshed  full  of  fire-wood  and  then  pile  it  up  outside.  Loads  of  chips  were 
brought  to  the  yard  from  the  woods.  Chips  made  a  quick  fire  for  boiling  the  tea-kettle. 
Besides  the  wood  we  cut  for  home  use  we  cut  a  good  deal  of  cordwood  to  be  taken  to  New  York 
by  our  teams.  We  had  no  buck-saws,  but  used  axes  and  sometimes  cross-cut  saws.  Besides 
getting  in  our  wood,  we  threshed  oats,  rye  and  wheat  in  January  and  February,  calculating  to 
get  through  before  the  first  of  March,  which  was  the  month  for  repairing  stone  walls  and  rail 
fences,  and  for  cutting  brushes  and  briars  and  heaping  them  up  in  piles  to  burn.  In  April  the 
farmers  were  generally  digging  out  stone  and  buildmg  stone  walls.  They  were  also  at  that 
time  getting  ready  to  plow  their  corn  ground  and  also  to  plow  their  oats,  which  were  sown  in 
April.  In  May  we  planted  our  corn  ground  and  also  planted  potatoes  and  plowed  our  pickle 
grou'nd.  Every  farmer  had  his  pickle  patch,  some  reserving  four  acres  and  some  five  or  six  for 
that  crop.  In  June  the  pickles  were  planted.  That  was  a  very  important  crop.  Not  one-quar- 
ter of  the  pickles  were  taken  to  the  Yonkers  pickle  factories.  The  fact  of  the  business  is,  that 
Yonkers,  Fordham,  West  Farms,  Eastchester  and  Greenburgh  were  the  principal  pickle  pro- 
ducers for  the  New  York  market.  It  was  a  former  Yonkers  man  who  established  the  pickle 
industry  in  one  of  the  western  states.  In  June  we  also  put  our  cheese  peppers  in  beds  to  be 
afterward  transplanted.  A  good  many  of  them  were  raised.  June  was  also  the  month  for 
plowing  and  hoeing  corn  and  potatoes.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  month  we  plowed  for  buck- 
wheat and  turned  over  our  turnip  ground.  Turnips  were  raised  to  feed  the  cattle,  not  for  mar- 
ket. June  was  the  month  in  which  the  sheep  were  sheared  and  in  which  cherries  were  picked 
and  taken  to  market.  I  have  taken  down  to  the  city  as  many  as  sixteen  hundredweight  of  cher- 
ries. In  July  we  were  plowing  and  hilling  corn,  which  we  tried  to  finish  before  the  beginning 
of  haying  and  harvesting,  which  was  our  July  and  August  work.  In  July  we  also  plowed  and 
hoed  our  pickle  crop.  Apples  were  taken  to  market  in  August  and  pickles  were  picked  in  the 
last  part  of  the  month.  That  was  the  principal  work.  We  also  at  that  time  dug  potatoes  and 
took  them  and  our  apples  to  market.  This  work  extended  into  September.  Forty-five  bushels 
of  apples  were  a  load  for  a  team.  September  might  have  been  called  our  marketing  month,  for 
then  we  were  gathering  our  crops  and  taking  them  to  market.  We  also  were  topping  our  corn 
at  that  time,  but  we  did  not  husk  it  until  October,  which  was  also  the  month  for  picking  some 
variety  of  apples,  digging  some  kinds  of  potatoes  and  for  making  cider.  In  November  we  were 
yet  busy  husking  corn  and  digging  potatoes.  We  were  also,  during  this  and  other  winter 
months,  threshing  grain,  killing  hogs  and  poultry,  cutting  wood,  etc. 


490  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

The  crops  in  Yonkers  were  fine.  In  the  '40s  over  here  in  the  valley  (Tibbett's  Brook), 
at  the  Horton  farmhouse,  near  the  present  Dunwoodie  railroad  station,  and  a  little  south  of  the 
road  to  Eastchester  (Yonkers  avenue),  we  would  get  up  the  oxen  and  take  the  cart,  which  held 
forty-five  bushels,  out  to  the  potatoe  patch,  in  November,  and  there  dig  potatoes  and  fill  the  cart 
and  have  them  in  the  wagon-house  or  cellar  by  noon.  We  would  get  another  cart-load  im  the 
afternoon.  We  calculated  that  six  hills  of  the  variety,  which  was  very  large,  would  fill  a  bushel 
basket.  They  did  fill  it.  Some  of  those  potatoes  were  from  six  to  eight  inches  long,  and  they 
were  good,  too!  I  remember  that  sometimes  after  supper  we  went  to  the  barn  to  sort  apples  and 
potatoes.  We  made  two  candlesticks  by  cutting  holes  in  two  large  turnips.  We  put  a  dip  in 
each.  One  dip  would  be  burning  at  one  end  of  the  heap  of  potatoes  or  apples,  and  the  other  at 
the  other  end  of  the  heap.  We  sat  there  in  the  barn  and  worked.  Just  before  stopping  work,  one  of 
the  men  would  go  into  the  house  and  put  some  of  those  potatoes  in  the  hot  ashes  of  the  open 
fire-place.  When  we  all  came  in  from  the  barn  the  potatoes  were  nicely  backed,  and  there  we  sat, 
before  going  to  bed,  and  enjoyed  those  mealy  and  white  baked  potatoes. 

As  to  the  price  of  farm  land,  the  Horton  farm  of  two  hundred  acreis.  at  what  is  now 
called  Dunwoodie,  was  bought  in  1833,  or  1834,  for  six  thousand  dollars.  A  little  more  than  a 
score  of  years  afterward,  when  the  village  was  incorporated  (1855),  the  average  price  of  a  lot  on 
Warburtom  avenue  was  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  or  two  hundred  dollars.  Opposite  Manor 
Hall  the  price  was  two  hundred  dollars.  Judge  Woodruff  owned  the  property  at  that  time.  As  to 
the  upper  end  of  what  is  now  Warburton  avenue,  they  would  almost  give  you  a  lot  in  that  locality 
if  you  would  go  up  there.  In  1872,  when  the  city  was  incorporated,  those  lots  opposite  Manor 
Hall  were  worth  five  and  six  hundred  dollars  each.  When  Dr.  Gates  bought  of  Levi  P.  Rose  two  or 
three  acres  on  the  hill,  opposite  the  present  First  Reformed  church,  he  paid  for  it  three  thousand 
and  nine  hundred  dollars.  In  1893,  a  part  of  that  property  was  offered  to  the  city,  for  a  city  hall 
property,  for  one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  dollars. 

I  recall  one  event  which  created  great  excitement  in  Yonkers  in  1842  or  1843.  A  dam 
above  Ashford  (a  place  subsequently  called  Ardsley  by  Mr.  Cyrus  W. Field),  about  five  miles  north 
of  Yonkers,  gave  way,  by  reason  of  a  sudden  and  heavy  fall  of  rain,  owing  to  a  cloud-burst- 
Oliver  Rhead,  whose  farm  was  in  Sawmill  river  valley,  a  little  north  of  St.  John's  cemetery,  saw 
the  river  rising  rapidly,  and,  mounting  his  horse,  rode  swiftly  down  to  Yonkers  to  alarm  the 
village.  The  Wells  and  Paddock  dam,  north  of  the  present  Elm  street  bridge,  was  then  com- 
paratively new,  but  for  some  time  it  resisted  the  pressure  of  the  flood.  In  those  days  there  were 
no  factories  or  other  buildings  near  the  dam  to  be  damaged.  At  last  the  water  broke  through 
and  with  irresistible  force  rushed  through  the  little  village.  It  gullied  out  Mechanic  (now  New 
Main)  street  about  seven  feet.  It  also  gullied  out  Mill  (now  Main)  street,  west  of  Getty  Square, 
At  that  time  the  "  TonyArcher  "  bridge,  a  wooden  structure  near  the  present  cemetery(Oakland), 
spanned  the  Sawmill  river.  It  had  upright  side-posts  surmounted  with  railing.  The  water 
overflowed  that  bridge  and  the  bridge  over  the  Sawmill  river  just  north  of  the  present  Getty 
Square.  The  Sawmill  river  road  was  covered.  The  water  ran  up  over  the  stone  wall,  and  as 
far  as  the  old  parsonage,  in  what  are  now  Oakland  cemetery  grounds.  It  also  overflowed, 
"  Gully  Guion's  lane."  I  was  on  my  way  to  a  political  meeting  to  be  held  at  Bashford's  tavern, 
which  stood  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Nepperhan,  west  of  Manor  Hall.  When  I  reached  the 
Tony  Archer  bridge,  near  the  parsonage  lot,  I  attempted  to  ford  the  water,  which  was  runnings 
over  the  bridge.  The  current  swept  me  and  my  horse  down  stream,  and,  after  regaining  solid 
ground,  I  rode  down  to  the  Post-road  bridge  and  forded  it  without  accident.  I  recall  the  deep- 
gully  in  Mechanic  street  near  the  site  of  the  present  Getty  House.  A  few  days  after  the  flood  a 
young  horse  belonging  to  Anson  Baldwin  was  taken  to  be  shod  at  Archibald's  (afterward  Peter 
Nodine's)  blacksmith  shop.  The  horse  was  restless  and  succeeded  in  breaking  away  from 
the  tie-post.  He  ran  around  into  Mechanic  street,  fell  into  the  deep  gully  and  was  killed. 
The  gully  was  full  of  boulders. 

Jacob  Read  was  born  at  Southeast,  Putnam  county,  New  York,  on  Sep- 
tember 30,  1818.      His  father,  Rooney  Read,    was  a  soldier  in  the  war   of 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  491 

1812,  and  his  grandfather,  Jacob  Read,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution.  Mr. 
Read  came  to  Yonkers  at  the  age  of  eleven,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  best 
known  citizens.  He  has  held  many  positions  of  trust;  for  fifteen  years  was 
supervisor,  and  at  present  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  water  commissioners, 
acting  as  treasurer.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and  Masonic 
orders.  On  November  23,  1845,  he  married  Miss  Catherine  L.  Mann,  who- 
died  on  December  26,  1891.  Five  of  his  children  are  living, — George, 
Leander  and  David  H.,  all  residents  of  Yonkers;  Mrs.  Amanda  Gibson,  of 
White  Plains;  and  Helen  L. ,  wife  of  Wilbur  B.  Ketcham,  of  this  city. 


THEODORE  HILL. 


One  of  the  most  progressive  and  successful  agriculturists  of  Yorktown' 
township,  Westchester  county,  is  Theodore  Hill,  who  is  the  owner  of  a  beau- 
tiful farm  of  two  hundred  acres.  His  methods  of  farm  management  show 
deep  scientific  knowledge,  combined  with  sound,  practical  judgment,  and 
the  results  show  that  "high-class"  farming  as  an  occupation  can  be  made 
profitable  as  well  as  pleasant. 

Mr.  Hill  was  born  December  i,  1850,  and  belongs  to  a  family  w-hich  was 
founded  in  this  county  by  his  great-grandfather,  Uriah  Hill,  who  came  here 
from  New  York  city  during  the  early  days  of  settlement  on  Manhattan  island. 
His  grandfather  was  Abraham  Hill.  His  father,  Abraham  Hill,  Jr.,  was  a 
farmer  throughout  life,  was  broad  and  liberal  in  religious  matters,  and  at  the 
polls  voted  the  Democratic  ticket.  He  married  Miss  Thamer  Lounsbury, 
the  daughter  of  Daniel  Lounsbury,  who  belonged  to  an  old  family  of  this 
section,  and  was  the  son  of  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hill 
were  born  two  children:  Theodore,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Hannah 
J.,  wife  of  Peter  Curry.  The  mother  died  in  early  life,  and  the  father  after- 
ward married  Miss  Mary  A.  Fowler,  whose  death  occurred  in  August,  1897. 

Theodore  Hill  was  reared  and  educated  in  Yorktown  township,  West- 
chester county.  New  York,  and  since  attaining  to  man's  estate  has  devoted 
his  time  and  energies  to  agricultural  pursuits,  with  good  success.  He  now 
owns  and  operates  a  fine  dairy  farm  near  Lake  Osceola,  in  Yorktown  town- 
ship, Westchester  county,  on  which  is  an  excellent  orchard,  large  barns  and 
a  nice  residence, — in  fact,  all  the  conveniences  and  accessories  of  a  model 
farm  are  there  found. 

On  the  20th  of  June,  1892,  Mr.  Hill  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Susan  H.  Curry,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  James  H.  and  Emily  (Minor)  Curry.  Her 
father  is  a  prominent  physician  of  Yorktown,  and  both  parents  are  promi- 
nent members  and  active  workers  in  the  Methodist  church.     Mr.  and  Mrs. 


492  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

Hill  have  two  little  sons,  who  make  bright  their  home,  namely:  James  Curry 
and  Theodore  A. 

While  taking  an  active  interest  in  political  affairs,  Mr.  Hill  is  not  a  mem- 
ber of  either  of  the  great  political  parties,  but  prefers  to  vote  for  the  man 
whom  he  believes  best  qualified  to  fill  the  office,  regardless  of  party  ties.  He 
is  an  efficient  member  of  the  school  board,  and  is  also  filling  the  offices  of 
collector  and  commissioner  in  his  township.  He  and  his  wife  are  leading 
members  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  they  well  deserve  the  high  regard  in 
which  they  are  uniformly  held. 


NELSON  H.  BAKER. 


A  prominent  and  distinguished  attorney  of  Sing  Sing,  Mr.  Baker  has 
for  almost  forty  years  successfully  engaged  in  practice  at  the  Westchester 
county  bar.  He  was  born  in  this  county,  March  4,  1835,  a  son  of  Quinby 
and  Elizabeth  (Dayton)  Baker,  and  is  a  worthy  representative  of  good  old 
Revolutionary  stock.  The  Baker  family  is  of  English  origin,  and  tradition 
states  that  its  progenitor  in  the  New  World  was  the  chaplain  on  the  May- 
flower. Our  subject's  great-grandfather,  Daniel  Baker,  was  a  captain  in  the 
Colonial  army  under  General  Washington,  and  participated.in  the  battle  of 
White  Plains  at  the  time  the  British  fleet  came  up  the  Hudson  river,  and  the 
grandfather,  Daniel  Baker,  who  was  a  farmer,  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  war 
of  18 1 2.  Quinby  Baker  was  an  inventor  and  was  accidentally  killed  when  our 
subject  was  quite  small,  having  participated  in  the  Mexican  war,  in  which  he 
was  wounded  and  died  from  the  effects  of  a  poisoned  bullet.  He  left  three 
children,  the  others  being  Alonzo,  a  mechanic  residing  in  Bedford,  and  Cla- 
rissa, now  deceased.  For  four  generations  the  Baker  family  have  resided  in 
Westchester  county  and  have  been  numbered  among  its  most  worthy  and 
progressive  citizens.  The  Dayton  family  is  also  an  old  and  loyal  one,  being 
well  represented  in  the  Revolution,  the  war  of  18 12  and  the  civil  war,  and  is 
connected  with  the  Greene  family  of  Revolutionary  fame.  Our  subject's 
maternal  grandfather,  Gilbert  Dayton,  was  wounded  in  the  war  of  18 12. 

Reared  upon  a  farm.  Nelson  H.  Baker  obtained  his  early  education  in 
the  district  schools  and  by  private  instruction  from  an  Irish  tutor,  Thomas 
O'Rily.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  commenced  the  study  of  law  with 
Francis  Larkin,  of  Sing  Sing,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  November, 
1859,  since  which  time  he  has  engaged- in  general  practice  in  Sing  Sing. 
Early  in  life  he  became  interested  in  political  affairs,  and  when  still  a  young 
man  made  the  race  for  supervisor,  and  was  elected.  The  following  year  he 
was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  and  filled  that  office  for  four  consecutive 
terms.      He  was  then  appointed  district  attorney  to  fill  an  unexpired  term  of 


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WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  49S 

more  than  two  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  was  elected  to  that  position, 
which  he  then  held  for  four  terms,  or  fourteen  years  in  all.  Since  then  he 
has  given  his  entire  attention  to  his  private  practice,  making  a  specialty  of 
criminal  law,  and  has  defended  many  noted  criminals.  Prominence  at  the 
bar  comes  through  merit  alone,  and  the  high  position  which  he  has  attained 
attests  his  superiority.  As  a  fluent,  earnest  and  convincing  advocate  he  has 
but  few  equals.  Thoroughness  characterizes  all  his  efforts,  and  he  conducts 
all  business  with  a  strict  regard  to  a  high  standard  of  professional  ethics.  He 
follows  his  own  peculiar  style  and  is  quick  to  discern  which  course  to  pursue, 
but  has  always  refused  to  prosecute  a  case  when  he  has  believed  the  prose- 
cution to  be  unjust.  As  an  attorney  he  ranks  among  the  foremost  in  this 
section  of  the  state,  and  he  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  eminent  citizens 
of  Westchester  county. 

On  the  2d  of  November,  1859,  Mr.  Baker  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Elizabeth  Urmy,  a  native  of  the  town  of  Ossining,  now  Sing  Sing, 
who  died  February  21,  1898.  Two  sons  were  born  to  this  union,  Ralph 
and  Stuart,  both  of  whom  have  been  well  educated,  and  Stuart  practices 
law  and  is  a  member  of  the  Westchester  county  bar. 


ROBERT  A.   R0TCH6. 


A  prominent  and  popular  citizen  of  Peekskill,  Westchester  county,  Mr. 
Rotche  has  always  been  noted  for  his  patriotism  and  loyalty  to  the  govern- 
ment and  for  his  earnest  efforts  to  advance  the  welfare  of  the  community  in 
which  his  lot  is  cast.  He  was  a  young  man  of  but  nineteen  years  when  he 
offered  his  services,  and  his  life,  if  need  be,  to  the  Union,  and  with  his  brave 
comrades  took  a  distinguished  part  in  the  battle  of  Antietam,  two  hundred 
and  sixty-five  of  the  regiment  meeting  death  in  that  fearful  combat  between  the 
opposing  armies.  He  was  also  a  participant  in  the  battles  of  Fredericksburg 
and  Roanoke  Island  and  in  minor  engagements  and  skirmishes  with  the 
enemy.  His  term  of  service  extended  over  a  period  of  two  years,  beginning 
on  August  19,  1 86 1,  and  terminating  in  August,  1863,  when  he  received  an 
honorable  discharge.  He  was  a  member  of  the  famous  Hawkins  Zouaves, 
Ninth  Regiment  of  New  York  Infantry. 

Mr.  Rotche  has  never  lost  his  interest  in  the  boys  who  wore  the  blue, 
and,  wherever  he  has  gone  has  been  identified  with  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  and  is  now  the  commander  of  Abraham  Vosburgh  Post,  No.  95,  of 
Peekskill.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican  and  has  loyally  aided  that  party  since 
he  had  the  privilege  of  casting  his  first  presidential  ballot,  for  Abraham 
Lincoln.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,, 
belonging  to  Cortlandt  Lodge,  No.  .6,  and  while   he  was  a  resident  of  Saa 


494  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Francisco,  California,  he  was  a  member  of  Oriental  Encampment,  No.  57 
I.  O.  O.   F. 

Robert  A.  Rotche,  who  has  made  his  home  in  Peekskill  for  many  years,  is 
a  native  of  this  county,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Cortlandt  township, 
January  13,  1842.  He  is  a  son  of  John  G.  and  Margaret  (Henry)  Rotch^. 
The  father,  who  was  a  native  of  Philadelphia,  was  a  brick-maker  by  profes- 
sion. His  death  took  place  over  thirty  years  ago,  in  1867.  His  widow 
passed  away  in  August,  1896,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six  years.  Both 
were  members  of  the  old  Dutch  Reformed  church.  They  were  the  parents 
of  six  children,  only  two  of  whom  survive,  namely:  John  H.,  a  resident  of 
Croton-on-Hudson,  and  Robert  A. 

In  his  youth  Robert  A.  Rotche  received  an  excellent  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  the  county  of  his  nativity.  Soon  after  he  left  the  school-room 
he  entered  upon  his  army  life  and  when  he  returned  from  the  battle-fields  of 
the  south  he  went  to  San  Francisco,  California,  where  he  remained  for 
twenty  years  or  more,  and  there  engaged  in  merchandising  and  was  also 
prominently  identified  in  local  political  affairs. 

In  1867  the  marriage  of  R.  A.  Rotche  and  Miss  Jennie  Black  was 
solemnized  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  by  Rev.  Dr.  Lowry,  of  Hanson  Place 
Baptist  church.  Mrs.  Rotche  is  a  daughter  of  James  Black,  of  Brooklyn. 
Edward  A.,  the  only  child  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  died  June  17,  1883, 
at  San  Francisco,  aged  fifteen  years.  He  was  a  bright,  promising  youth, 
admired  and  loved  by  all  who  knew  him,  and  his  loss  was  deeply  felt  by  a 
large  circle  of  friends. 

LEONARD  JACOBI. 

As  one  who  has  attained  conspicuous  success  in  connection  with  the  busi- 
ness and  industrial  activities  of  the  nation,  and  standing  at  the  head  of  one 
of  the  important  and  magnificent  manufacturing  and  commercial  enterprises 
of  Westchester  county,  there  is  a  manifest  consistency  in  according  in  this 
compilation  at  least  a  brief  review  of  the  life  of  Leonard  Jacobi,  of  Yonkers, 
who  is  the  president  of  the  Nepera  Chemical  Company,  of  Nepera  Park. 
His  exceptional  business  sagacity  and  acumen  can  be  recognized  when  we 
revert  to  the  circumstance  that  he  had  by  his  own  efforts  accumulated  a  suf- 
ficient competency  to  enable  him  consistently  to  retire  from  active  business 
at  an  age  when  the  average  man  is  but  formulating  plans  and  initiating  his 
business  career. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  educational  discipline  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  New  York  city,  and  thereafter  instituted  his  independent  busi- 
ness career  by  going  to  San  Francisco,  California,  where  he  became  a  stock- 
broker.    Instituting  operations  in  this  line  in  the  year  18:74,  his  success  was 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  495 

almost  phenomenal,  as  is  shown  in  the  fact,  already  referred  to  incidentally, 
that  he  was  able  to  retire  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  years,  having  accumu- 
lated a  fortune  by  his  wise  manipulations  and  rare  business  discrimination. 
The  story  of  his  brilliant  success  is  as  brief  as  it  was  astonishing,  taking  into 
consideration  his  youth  and  the  difficulties  with  which  he  naturally  had  to 
contend. 

After  retiring  from  business  in  California,  Mr.  Jacobi  devoted  fourteen 
years  to  travel  and  recreation  in  Europe,  and  while  thus  journeying  about 
from  one  place  of  interest  to  another  he  chanced  to  form  the  acquaintance 
of  Dr.  Leo  Baekeland,  who  is  now  associated  with  him  in  the  great  enter- 
prise which  they  have  built  up  in  Westchester  county.  A  more  formal 
description  of  this  industry  appears  in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  Dr. 
Baekeland,  which  is  published  on  other  pages  of  this  work.  Suffice  it  to  say 
at  this  point  that  the  enterprise  was  inaugurated  in  1893,  when  the  Nepera 
Chemical  Company  was  organized,  its  principal  product  being  the  celebrated 
Velox  photographic  paper — a  sensitized  paper  for  use  in  printing  from 
ordinary  photographic  negatives,  and  one  whose  facility  in  manipulation  is 
bound  to  revolutionize  this  feature  of  the  photographic  processes.  The  paper 
is  described  more  fully  in  the  review  of  the  life  of  its  inventor,  Dr.  Baeke- 
land, but  it  will  not  be  out  of  place  to  state  here  that  the  pronounced  points 
of  superiority  in  the  product  are  that  it  is  sensitive  to  what  the  photographer 
would  call  very  "slow"  light- — that  is,  prints  can  be  made  with  utmost 
facility  not  alone  by  daylight,  but  from  the  light  of  ordinary  gas  or  lamp; 
while  the  process  of  developing  and  fixing  the  prints  is  by  gas  light  or  any 
artificial  light.  The  Velox  paper,  however,  gives  results  which  equal  any- 
thing that  can  be  obtained  from  aristo  papers,  and  also  gives  the  depth  of 
tone-shadows  and  lights  which  the  aristo  paper  invariably  blurs.  In  this 
respect  the  Velox  is  superior  to  both  the  aristo  and  the  old-time  albumen  paper, 
which  likewise  had  its  elements  of  superiority  over  the  former  in  the  pres- 
ervation of  the  more  delicate  values  of  the  various  negatives. 

The  Nepera  Chemical  Company  has  an  extensive  and  finely  equipped 
plant,  which  covers  a  large  area,  and  here  employment  is  afforded  to  one 
hundred  individuals.  The  Velox  paper  met  with  an  almost  instantaneous 
favor  on  the  part  of  photographers,  and  the  product  of  the  factory  is  now 
shipped  to  every  civilized  country  in  the  world,  foreign  agencies  having  been 
established  in  a  number  of  the  principal  cities  abroad.  In  addition  to  these 
agencies  in  foreign  lands,  a  number  have  been  established  in  the  various  sec- 
tions of  the  United  States,  and  a  large  corps  of  traveling  salesmen  is  em- 
ployed by  the  company  in  the  introducing  and  sale  of  the  Velox  paper. 
Besides  Velox,  however,  the  Nepera  Chemical  Company  has  the  only  manu- 
Jactory  in  the  world  that  produces  all  kinds  of  photographic  papers,  other 


496  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

manufacturers  having  their  specialties  only.  In  this  respect  the  Nepera 
Chemical  Company  stands  unique  in  its  branch  of  industry.  The  enterprise 
has  important  bearing  on  the  industrial  status  and  prosperity  of  Yonkers, 
and  is  duly  appreciated  by  all  classes  of  citizens  who  are  interested  in  the 
progress  of  the  city.  The  company  largely  employ  home  labor  and  skill 
and  pay  good  salaries,  much  of  the  work  requiring  the  co-operation  of  prac- 
tical chemists  and  men  of  education. 

Personally  Mr.  Jacobi  is  a  man  of  most  pleasing  personality,  genial  and 
affable  in  manner,  and  he  has  gained  a  distinctive  popularity  in  both  busi- 
ness and  social  circles.  He  is  a  thorough  business  man,  alert  and  progress- 
ive, and  a  hard  worker.  He  is  quick  and  energetic,  and  is  recognized  for 
his  superior  ability  in  handling  affairs  of  great  breadth.  He  has  pushed  the 
business  of  the  Nepera  Chemical  Company  to  the  front  with  great  rapidity, 
expending  each  year  many  thousand  dollars  in  advertising,  realizing  that  by 
this  typical  American  method  a  business  may  be  built  up  in  one  year  to  a 
point  which  could  not  be  reached  in  ten  by  the  slow  system  of  gradual  intro- 
duction of  products  by  personal  solicitation  alone.  He  stands  distinctively 
as  the  business  head  of  the  enterprise;  Dr.  Baekeland  devotes  his  attention 
to  the  development  and  improvement  of  the  manufacturing  processes,  by  con- 
tinued investigation  and  experimentation,  being  also  secretary  of  the  com- 
pany; while  Albert  G.  C.  Hahn,  M.  S.,  is  treasurer.  Mr.  Jacobi  took  up 
his  residence  in  Yonkers  in  1897. 


EDWARD  B.  REAR. 


The  present  well  known  and  popular  supervisor  of  Yorktown  township, 
Westchester  county,  was  born  March  24,  1866,  and  is  a  representative  of  an 
old  and  highly  respected  family  of  this  county.  His  paternal  great-grandfa- 
ther, Jonathan  Rear,  who  was  of  Welsh  descent,  settled  near  the  present  vil- 
lage of  Yorktown  some  time  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war.  His  son,  Peter 
Rear,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  here  reared  to  manhood  and  mar- 
ried Miss  Susan  Anderson,  who  was  born  at  Croton-on-Hudson  and  was  of 
German  descent.  To  them  was  born  a  family  of  nine  children,  and  of  those 
who  reached  maturity  we  offer  the  following  brief  record:  Peter  is  a  resident 
of  Geneva,  New  York;  Amos  died  in  1891,  his  being  the  first  death  in  the 
family  for  forty  years;  Henry  C.  is  the  father  of  our  subject;  William  and 
George  are  both  residents  of  Seneca  Falls,  New  York;  Cyrus  resides  at 
Almont,  Michigan;  Sarah  Dean  has  her  home  at  Rochester,  New  York;  and 
Daniel  also  resides  at  Almont,  Michigan.  The  mother  of  these  children  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years,  and  the  father  two  or  three  years  later.  By 
occupation  he  was  a  farmer,  and  in  politics  was  a  Republican. 


<^k^y^ 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  497 

Henry  C.  Kear,  the  father  of  our  subject,  is  a  native  of  Westchester 
county,  born  December  i8,  1836,  and  was  reared  on  the  homestead  at  York- 
town,  receiving  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  the  neighborhood.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-seven  years  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Catherine 
Farmer,  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  to  them  were  born  two  children:  William 
C. ,  of  Yorktown;  and  Edward  B.,  of  this  sketch.  The  Kear  homestead  con- 
sists of  two  hundred  and  iifty-six  acres  of  choice  farming  land,  which  has 
been  placed  under  a  high  'state  of  cultivation  and  improved  with  good  and 
substantial  buildings.  In  fact  it  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  and  attractive 
farms  in  the  vicinity.  To  its  further  improvement  and  cultivation  father 
and  sons  still  devote  their  energies  with  most  gratifying  results,  and  Mr. 
Kear  also  owns  a  valuable  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  the  town 
of  Somers. 

Edward  B.  Kear  obtained  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  near 
his  boyhood  home,  and  later  attended  the  Hackettstown  Institute,  where  he 
was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1884.  Since  attaining  his  majority  he  has  been 
a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Republican  party,  and  has  taken  an  active  and 
prominent  part  in  local  politics.  His  fellow  citizens,  recognizing  his  worth 
and  ability,  elected  him  township  clerk  in  1889,  and  he  has  also  been  called 
upon  to  fill  the  offices  of  justice  of  the  peace  and  township  supervisor,  in 
which  he  has  served  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of 
his  constituents.  Mr.  Kear  was  again  re-elected  to  the  office  of  supervisor  of 
the  township  in  the  spring  of  1899,  by  an  increased  majority  over  his  former 
opponent.  In  1894  Mr.  Kear  was  elected  a  justice  of  sessions  of  Westches- 
ter county,  and  filled  that  office  till  its  abolishment  by  the  constitutional 
amendment. 

On  the  3d  of  June,  1896,  Mr.  Kear  was  icarried  to  Miss  Josephine  Rey- 
nolds, of  Croton  Lake,  a  daughter  of  Lockwood  Reynolds,  of  that  place,  and 
in  the  social  circles  of  the  community  they  occupy  an  enviable  position- 


EUGENE  P.  SHEPHERD. 

The  well-known  proprietor  of  the  Croton  Valley  Poultry  farm,  at  Croton 
Falls,  Westchester  county,  is  Eugene  Purdy  Shepherd,  who  was  born  in  New 
Jersey,  in  1864,  the  son  of  C.  C.  and  Ann  (Purdy)  Shepherd.  His  maternal 
grandfather  was  Joel  B.  Purdy,  a  member  of  one  of  the  old  and  prominent 
families  of  New  York. 

During  his  boyhood  and  youth  Eugene  P.  Shepherd  received  a  good 
practical  education  and  also  learned  the  jewelry  trade,  which  he  followed  for 
a  time.  For  some  years  he  was  also  employed  as  a  traveling  salesman  for  a 
New  York  firm,  but   for  the  past   seven  years  has    engaged    in  his  present 

32 


498  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

business.  He  was  married  in  1895,  the  lady  of  his  choice  being  Miss  Ella 
Bailey,  who  died  November  24,  1898,  leaving  two  daughters, — Florence  B. 
and  Helen. 

The  Croton  Valley  Poultry  farm  is  one  of  the  best  and  most  widely 
known  farms  of  the  kind  in  the  state.  The  grounds  are  large,  and  a  good 
residence  has  been  erected  on  a  natural  building  site.  Mr.  Shepherd  has 
spent  over  four  thousand  dollars  for  stock  and  buildings  and  has  con- 
verted it  into  an  ideal  poultry  ranch.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  Plymouth 
Rock  and  Leghorn  fowls  and  some  of  his  prize  winners  are  valued  at  one 
hundred  dollars  per  pair.  Orders  for  fowls  and  eggs  come  from  all  parts  of 
the  country,  and  he  has  received  first  and  sweepstakes  prizes  in  New  York, 
Boston,  Buffalo,  Albany  and  other  places.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American 
Poultry  Association  and  also  belongs  to  several  smaller  and  local  poultry 
associations. 

A  man  of  superior  intellect,  frank  and  genial  in  disposition,  he  is  very 
popular  with  his  fellow  men,  and  his  circle  of  friends  seems  limited  only  by 
his  circle  of  acquaintances. 


WILLIAM  F.   McCABE. 


For  thirty  years  this  well-known  resident  of  Mamaroneck  has  made  his 
home  in  this  flourishing  little  village,  and  during  the  past  score  of  years  has 
risen  to  a  position  of  prominence  and  influence  in  its  affairs,  commercial  and 
■otherwise.  He  has  been  an  important  factor  in  local  politics,  being  a  worker 
in  the  ranks  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  was  the  receiver  of  taxes  for  two 
years  and  excise  commissioner  for  three  years. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  William  F.  and  Ellen  (Collins)  McCabe. 
He  was  born  in  East  Morris,  now  included  within  the  limits  of  Greater  New 
York,  in  1857.  At  the  age  of  one  year  WilHam  F.  accompanied  his  father  to 
Mamaroneck,  and  has  since  looked  upon  this  place  as  his  home.  He  received 
his  higher  education  in  Saint  Francis  Xavier  College,  in  New  York  city,  but 
left  his  studies  when  eighteen  years  of  age  in  order  to  enter  upon  his  business 
career.  He  was  associated  with  his  father  in  contracting  until  twenty-five 
years  of  age,  when  he  embarked  upon  independent  work.  His  first  important 
task  was  the  construction  of  the  reservoir  dam  for  the  New  Rochelle  water- 
works, and  having  executed  this  contract  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  all  con- 
cerned he  had  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  further  contracts  at  other  points  and 
for  various  kinds  of  public  works.  One  of  the  finest  pieces  of  work  that  he 
has  accomplished  is  the  Byron  bridge,  connecting  New  York  and  Greenmont, 
Connecticut.  This  structure  has  a  beautiful  double  arch  of  cut  stone.  Though 
he  has  taken  contracts  for  a  great  many  private  parties,  he  is  especially  quali- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  499 

fied  to  take  much  more  important  pieces  of  work,  and  caters  to  large  public 
improvements. 

Among  those  for  whom  he  has  carried  out  contracts  are  Mr.  Schoon- 
maker,  of  Scarsdale,  and  William  H.  Macy  and  Porter  A.  Harrison.  For 
three  years  and  eight  months  he  was  engaged  upon  the  construction  of  the 
new  Croton  dam  for  the  New  York  city  water  works,  and  excavated  the  first 
yard  of  rock  for  that  remarkable  piece  of  work.  Few  public  works  have 
been  carried  out  in  this,  town  without  his  co-operation,  and  many  of  the  more 
important  improvements  in  Mount  Vernon  have  been  managed  by  him.  He 
built  six  miles  of  macadam  road  in  Richmond,  and  has  the  most  complete 
facilities  for  this  kind  of  enterprise,  as  he  owns  a  stone-crusher  and  steam- 
rollers, and  in  other  work  he  has  the  most  approved  modern  steam  drills 
{eight  in  number),  hoisting  machines,  etc.,  and  keeps  twenty-two  horses  for 
use  in  his  various  departments  of  business.  It  is  conceded  that,  for  the  execu- 
tion of  street  paving  and  public  works  in  general,  he  has  the  most  complete 
machinery  and  equipments  of  any  contractor  in  this  county.  He  employs 
as  many  as  four  hundred  and  fifty  men  at  a  time,  and  his  pay  roll  frequently 
amounts  to  eight  thousand  dollars  a  month,  while  his  contracts  for  two  years 
footed  up  about  two  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

Though  he  is  quite  devoted  to  his  business  affairs  Mr.  McCabe  always 
finds  time  to  discharge  his  duties  as  a  citizen.  He  has  been  active  in  the 
work  of  the  fire  department,  as  for  five  years  he  was  identified  with  the 
Mamaroneck  Hook  &  Ladder  Company;  was  for  three  years  a  member  of 
the  Croton  Hook  &  Ladder  Company  and  was  in  the  patrol  department  here 
for  some  time,  being  at  present  an  honorary  member  of  the  same.  Frater- 
nally, he  is  a  member  of  the  orders  of  Foresters  and  Red  Men. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  McCabe  and  Miss  Minnie  Anthes  was  celebrated 
April  IS,  1889.  Mrs.  McCabe  is  a  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Dorothea 
{Miller)  Anthes,  of  this  place.  The  four  children  born  to  our  subject  and 
wife  are  William  F. ;  Ellen  Dorothea,  deceased;  May;  and  Irene. 

William  F.  McCabe,  as  an  honored  old  citizen  of  Mamaroneck,  deserves 
special  mention.  He  is  a  native  of  county  Kildare,  Ireland,  born  about 
1830.  He  came  to  America  prior  to  his  marriage  and  engaged  in  contract- 
ing after  he  had  been  on  these  shores  for  a  few  years.  At  first,  however,  he 
was  employed  on  farms  as  a  manager  of  the  same.  He  has  made  a  specialty 
of  building  seawalls  and  other  similar  works  of  public  improvement,  but  for 
the  past  fifteen  years  he  has  lived  practically  retired  from  active  labors.  He 
has  been  influential  in  the  affairs  of  the  local  Democratic  party  and  for  twen- 
ty-four years  occupied  the  office  of  road  commissioner,  at  the  expiration  of 
which  period  he  resigned,  refusing  to  retain  the  office  longer.  Among  many 
other  works  of  improvement  here  with  which  he  was  identified  was  the  con- 


500  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

struction  of  the  Mamaroneck  water  main.  Both  he  and  his  estimable  wife 
have  arrived  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  Of  their  ten  children  five  sur- 
vive, namely:     Sarah  Carroll,  William  F.,  Thomas,  Ellen  and  Richard. 


FREDERICK  W.   SHERMAN. 

The  ancestry  of  the  Sherman  family,  of  which  our  subject  is  a  represent- 
tative,  can  be  traced  back  to  William  Sherman,  bailiff  of  Debenham  Stone- 
ham,  in  Suffolk,  England.  He  flourished  about  1410,  and  was  the  father  of 
John  Sherman,  of  Suffolk,  whose  son,  Thomas  Sherman,  of  Dedham,  Eng- 
land, died  in  1564.  The  last  named  was  the  father  of  Henry  Sherman,  also 
of  Dedham.  His  wife  was  Agnes  Sherman,  and  his  will  was  dated  1589. 
Edward  Sherman,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Agnes  Sherman,  married  Ann  Clerc, 
made  his  home  in  Dedham,  England,  and  left  a  will  dated  1598.  His  son, 
John  Sherman,  was  the  next  in  the  line  of  direct  descent  to  our  subject,  and 
his  will  bore  date  1654  or  1655.  The  last  named  was  the  father  of  Captain 
John  Sherman,  the  founder  of  the  family  in  America.  He  was  born  in  Ded- 
ham, England,  in  161 3,  and  came  to  America  in  1634,  locating  in  Watertown, 
Massachusetts.  His  daughtar  was  Martha  Palmer,  daughter  of  William 
Palmer,  and  their  son  John  was  killed  in  the  Narragansett  Indian  fight.  It 
was  Edward  Sherman,  of  Dedham,  England,  an  uncle  of  Captain  John  Sher- 
man, from  whom  descended  General  William  T.  Sherman  and  Senator  John 
Sherman,  of  Ohio.  Joseph  Sherman,  a  son  of  Captain  John  Sherman,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Winship,  daughter  of  Lieutenant  Edward  H.  and  Elizabeth 
Winship,  of  Cambridge,  on  November  18,  1673,  and  of  this  union  was  born 
William  Sherman,  of  Charlestown,  Massachusetts,  who  married  Mehitable 
Wellington. 

They  became  the  parents  of  Roger  Sherman,  the  great-grandfather  of 
our  subject,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  patriots  who  promoted  the  cause  of 
liberty  and  freedom  in  that  period  which  gave  birth  to  the  republic.  He  was 
married  May  12,  ly^^,  to  Rebecca  Prescott,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and 
Rebecca  (Minot)  Prescott,  of  Danvers,  Connecticut.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  continental  congress  in  1774,  was  one  of  the  signers  of  the  address  to  the 
king  in  that  year,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  and  one  of  the 
committee  who  drafted  that  document.  He  was  also  one  of  the  signers  of 
the  articles  of  confederation  and  of  the  constitution  of  the  United  States. 
He  had  the  distinction  of  being  the  only  person  who  signed  all  four  of  these 
great  state  papers  in  the  early  history  of  the  country;  in  fact  no  other  signed 
three  of  them.  From  1791  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  a  member  of 
the  United  States  senate,  and  was  also  a  judge  of  the  supreme  court  of  Con- 
necticut.    He  had  graduated  in  Yale  College  with  the  degree  of   Master  of 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  501 

Arts,  and  was  a  most  scholarly  and  diplomatic  statesman.  He  left  the  impress 
of  his  strong  individuality  upon  the  new  republic  and  took  a  leading  part  in 
formulating  its  policy.  He  was  the  grandfather  of  three  United  States  sena- 
tors, his  daughter  Rebecca  being  the  mother  of  Roger  Sherman  Baldwin,  who 
was  governor  of  Connecticut  and  a  member  of  the  United  States  senate; 
Mehitable,  another  daughter,  was  the  mother  of  William  M.  Evarts,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  senate;  and  Sarah,  the  third  daughter,  was  the  mother  of  Frisbie 
Hoar,  United  States  senator,  and  the  late  E.  Rockwood  Hoar,  judge  of  the 
supreme  court  of  Massachusetts.  Roger  Minot  Sherman,'  the  eminent  jurist 
of  Fairfield,  Connecticut,  was  also  a  relative  of  the  same  family. 

Roger  Sherman,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  likewise  a  native  of 
New  Haven,  Connecticut,  and  there  spent  his  entire  life.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Prescott  &  Sherman,  prominent  merchants,  who  were  exten- 
sively engaged  in  trading  with  the  West  Indies.  He  died  at  an  advanced  age. 
In  1801  he  married  Susanna  Staples,  who  was  born  August  i,  1778,  and  died 
November  22,  1855.  She  was  a  sister  of  the  great  lawyer,  Seth  P.  Staples, 
and  the  granddaughter  of  Hannah  Standish,  whose  grandfather  was  Miles 
Standish,  one  of  the  colonial  governors  of  Massachusetts. 

The  father  of  our  subject,  Edward  Standish  Sherman,  was  born  in  New 
Haven,  Connecticut,  and  there  spent  his  early  life.  In  his  younger  manhood 
he  began  dealing  in  iron  and  other  metals.  He  removed  to  Fairfield,  Con- 
necticut, where  he  made  his  home  the  greater  part  of  the  time  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1882.  He  was  quite  successful  in  his  business  dealings, 
but  at  the  time  of  the  civil  war  met  with  heavy  losses.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Republican,  and  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  Union  League  Club, 
of  New  York  city.  He  married  Catharine  Augusta  Townsend,  of  Boston,  a 
daughter  of  Dr.  Solomon  David  and  Catharine  (Davis)  Townsend.  Her 
father  was  an  eminent  surgeon  of  Boston,  and  in  his  honor  the  Townsend 
ward  in  the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital  was  named.  Mrs.  Sherman's 
grandparents  were  Dr.  David  and  Elizabeth  (Davis)  Townsend,  and  the  for- 
mer was  a  son  of  Shippie  Townsend  and  a  grandson  of  David  Townsend. 
Mrs.  Sherman  is  still  living,  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-three  years,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church.  In  their  family  were  eleven  children, 
ten  of  whom  are  still  living. 

Frederick  William  Sherman,  the  honored  representative  of  the  family 
of  Rye,  New  York,  was  born  at  No.  42  East  Thirty-first  street,  New  York 
city,  February  10,  1862,  and  spent  his  childhood  days  in  Fairfield,  Connect- 
icut, until  about  twelve  or  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he  accompanied  his 
parents  on  their  removal  to  Rye,  New  York.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  Park  Institute  of  Rye,  and,  having  determined  to  make  the  prac- 
tice of  law  his  life  work,  completed  a  course  of  study  by  his  graduation  in 


502  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

the  Columbia  Law  School  of  New  York,  in  1883.  He  then  began  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  in  New  York,  where  he  remained  for  four  or  five  years, 
after  which  he  opened  an  office  in  Port  Chester,  near  Rye,  where  he  has  since 
made  his  home  in  a  sightly  residence  recently  built  by  him  and  overlooking 
Long  Island  sound.  He  practiced  in  Port  Chester,  in  White  Plains  and  in 
Rye,  and  now  has  a  distinctively  representative  clientage.  Since  his  arrival 
in  the  county  he  has  been  connected  with  much  of  the  important  litigation 
heard  in  the  courts,  and  is  attorney  for  the  local  street  railroad  company  and 
other  local  corporations.  To  an  understanding  of  uncommon  acuteness  and 
vigor,  he  added  a  thorough  and  conscientious  preparatory  training.  His 
preparation  of  cases  is  exhaustive;  he  seems  almost  intuitively  to  grasp  the 
strong  points  of  law  and  fact;  his  arguments  are  forcible  and  his  logic  con- 
vincing, while  his  familiarity  with  the  facts,  the  law  and  with  precedents  is 
comprehensive  and  accurate. 

Mr.  Sherman  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Grace  Blanchard,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Anthony  Blanchard,  ex-surrogate  of  Albany  county  and  district  attorney 
for  Washington  county.  New  York.  Mr.  Sherman  is  a  member  of  the  Epis- 
copal church,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican.  In  the  fall  of -1892  he  was  the 
candidate  for  county  attorney,  but  the  entire  ticket  was  defeated  at  that  elec- 
tion. In  his  profession  he  has  attained  a  prominent  position,  and,  being  yet  a 
young  man,  still  greater  successes  are  probably  in  store  for  him.  His  hfe  has 
always  been  upright  and  honorable,  in  harmony  with  the  untarnished  record  of 
the  prominent  family  of  which  he  is  a  representative. 


JAMES  FENIMORE  COOPER. 

James  Fenimore  Cooper  is  another  distinguished  author  who  may  be 
included  among  the  literati  of  Westchester  county,  for  his  first  novel  was 
written  while  he  resided  at  Mamaroneck.  Cooper  was  born  at  Burlington, 
New  Jersey.  September  15,  1789.  His  father.  Judge  William  Cooper, 
removed  the  following  year  to  the  neighborhood  of  Otsego  lake,  New  York, 
where  he  had  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land,  on  which  he  established  a  set- 
tlement, to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Cooperstown.  In  this  frontier  home, 
in  the  midst  of  a  population  of  settlers,  trappers  and  Indians,  young  Cooper 
imbibed  that  knowledge  of  backwoods  life  and  of  the  habits  of  the  aborigines 
which  afterward  served  him  so  well  in  the  construction  of  his  romances.  At 
the  age  of  thirteen  he  entered  Yale  College,  and  after  remaining  there  three 
years  received  an  appointment  as  midshipman  in  the  United  States  Navy.  In 
the  latter  he  obtained,  during  the  six  years  of  his  service,  a  familiarity  with 
nautical  life  which  he  utilized  with  splendid  results  in  his  famous  sea 
stories. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  508 

In  1811  Cooper  resigned  bis  commission  in  the  navy  and  married  Miss 
De  Lancey,  a  member  of  the  well  known  New  York  family  of  that  name  and 
sister  of  the  bishop  of  western  New  York.  They  settled  in  the  village  of 
Mamaroneck,  in  Westchester  county,  and  not  long  afterward  Cooper's  mind 
was  accidentally  turned  to  the  field  of  fiction.  One  day,  after  reading  an  Eng- 
lish novel,  he  remarked  to  his  wife  that  he  believed  he  could  write  a  better 
story  himself.  To  test  the  matter  he  wrote  "Precaution."  He  had  not 
intended  to  publish  the  novel,  but  was  induced  to  do  so  by  his  wife  and  his 
friend,  Charles  Wilkes.  The  descriptions  of  English  life  and  scenery  gave 
it  great  popularity  in  England,  where  it  was  republished.  "  The  Spy,"  which 
followed,  was  as  thoroughly  American,  and  obtained  great  success,  not  only 
in  this  country  but  abroad.  It  was  almost  immediately  republished  in  all 
parts  of  Europe.  "  The  Pioneers  "  was  the  first  of  the  series  of  frontier  and 
Indian  stories,  on  which  the  novelist's  reputation  chiefly  rests.  It  was  fol- 
lowed by  "The  Pilot,"  the  first  of  the  sea  stories.  Other  novels  followed 
in  quick  succession,  and  Cooper's  reputation  grew  apace.  He  was  also 
sharply  criticized  and  became  involved  in  various  controversies,  which  cul- 
minated finally  in  a  series  of  libel  suits  against  his  detractors  in  the  news- 
papers. In  1826  he  visited  Europe,  and  upon  his  return  to  this  country 
made  his  home  at  Cooperstown,  New  York.  During  his  residence  abroad 
(1826-33)  he  was  everywhere  received  with  marked  attention.  His  literary 
activity  was  unchecked  by  his  wanderings,  and  during  his  stay  in  Europe  he 
wrote  a  number  of  novels.  After  his  return  to  this  country  he  wrote  the 
"Naval  History  of  the  United  States,"  which  excited  an  acrimonious  dis- 
cussion as  to  the  correctness  of  his  account  of  the  battle  of  Lake  Erie.  In 
one  of  his  libel  suits  Cooper  defended,  in  person,  the  accuracy  of  his  Version 
of  the  battle.  A  lawyer,  who  was  an  auditor  of  the  closing  sentences  of  his 
argument,  remarked,  ' '  I  have  heard  nothing  like  it  since  the  days  of 
Emmet." 

Cooper  continued  to  write  with  amazing  fertility  and  vigor  almost  to  the 
close  of  his  life,  which  was  terminated  by  dropsy,  September  14,  1851.  Not- 
withstanding his  defects  of  style,  his  romances  are.  conceded  to  be  among  the 
most  vivid  and  original  of  all  American  works  of  fiction.  He  was  the  first 
of  his  countrymen  who  obtained  a  wide  recognition  in  other  portions  of  the 
world.  His  works  were  translated  into  many  languages,  and  the  Indian  tales 
especially  were  universal  favorites  in  Europe.  The  great  French  novelist, 
Balzac,  said  of  him,  "With  what  amazing  power  has  he  painted  nature! 
How  all  his  pages  glow  with  creative  fire!  Who  is  there  writing  English 
among  our  contemporaries,  if  not  of  him,  of  whom  it  can  be  said  that  he  has 
a  genius  of  the  first  order.?  "  "  The  empire  of  the  sea,"  says  the  Edinburg 
Review,  "  has  been  conceded  to  him  by  acclamation;  "  and  the  same  journal 


504  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

adds,  "In  the  lonely  desert  or  untrodden  prairie,  among  the  savage 
Indians,  or  scarcely  less  savage  settlers,  all  equally  acknowledge  his  domin- 
ion."   

LEONARD    CHADEAYNE. 

This  gentleman  was  for  many  years  one  of  the  prominent  and  influential 
citizens  of  Westchester  county.  New  York.  He  was  born  on  the  old 
Chadeayne  homestead  in  this  county,  June  12,  1809,  passed  his  life  in  this 
vicinity  and  lived  to  a  venerable  ^age,  his  death  occurring  February  11,  1893. 

The  Chadeayne  family  has  long  been  identified  with  Westchester  county. 
Daniel  Chadeayne,  the  grandfather  of  Leonard,  was  one  of  the  f:rst  Demo- 
crats in  this  section  of  the  country.  His  son,  David,  our  subject's  father, 
was  born  in  Westchester  county,  October  11,  1766,  and  married  Miss  Han- 
nah Underbill,  whose  birth  occurred  January  6,  1772.  The  fruits  of  this 
union  were  ten  children,  three  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  the  others  being 
John,  Julia,  Gilbert,  Susan,  Ann,  Leonard  and  Sanford.  The  mother  died 
in  1841,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years;  the  father,  in  1846,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-nine. 

Leonard  Chadeayne  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  was  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  all  his  life.  In  July,  1847,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Ann 
Thorn,  a  native  of  Orange  county,  New  York,  reared  and  educated  in  Ulster 
county,  this  state,  daughter  of  Thomas  P.  and  Eliza  (Gerow)  Thorn.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Thorn  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  viz.:  Eleanor,  wife  of 
John  Carpenter;  Mary  Ann,  wife  of  the  subject  of  our  sketch;  Esther  G. ;  and 
Jane,  wife  of  Amos  Brown,  of  Orange  county,  New  York.  Mrs.  Thorn  died 
at  the'age  of  seventy-six  years,  and  Mr.  Thorn  was  eighty-four  when  he  died. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chadeayne  became  the  parents  of  six  children,  namely:  Eliza- 
beth; Hannah,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  and  ten  months;  Thomas 
Thorn,  a  business  man  of  Sing  Sing,  New  York,  married  Harriet  E.  Young; 
David,  a  resident  of  Yorktown,  married  Ida  Acker,  and  has  one  son,  H.  Leon- 
ard; William,  a  business  man  of  Tarrytown,  married  Miss  Lotta  Palmer;  and 
Mary,  wife  of  Anson  Lee. 

Mr.  Chadeayne  was  a  man  who  throughout  his  life  bore  a  character  that 
was  above  reproach.  He  was  broad  and  liberal  in  his  religious  views,  and 
politically,  was  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  principles  advocated  by  the  Repub- 
lican party.  He  was  a  good  citizen,  a  loving  and  dutiful  husband  and  an 
indulgent  father,  and  his  death  was  mourned  by  many  friends.  Mr.  Chade- 
ayne was  a  successful  financier,  and  frequently  was  chosen  as  executor  and 
administrator  m  the  settlement  of  estates,  etc.  He  was  a  most  worthy  and 
estimable  citizen,  and  his  domestic  life  stood  exemplary  of  all  that  belongs 
to  a  model  husband  and  father. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  505 


LEO  HENDRIK  BAEKELAND,   D.   Sc. 

No  pen,  however  facile  or  however  skillful  with  thought  that  moves  it, 
can  compete  in  its  portrayals  with  the  sun  ray.  This  swift  and  beautiful 
messenger,  robed  in  the  mysteries  of  sun  and  stars,  silent  in  its  ministry,  in 
an  instant  gives  the  picture,  and  the  picture  is  errorless.  Through  a  small 
opening  it  will  bring  in  the  landscape  and  throw  it  upon  the  screen.  It  will 
touch  the  sensitive  plate  and  leave  there  every  lineament  of  the  human 
face.  It  is  fleeter  than  muscular  movement,  or  steam,  or  even  electricity. 
To  the  eye  rapidity  of  motion  veils  the  object;  to  light  everything  is  still.  It 
writes  history  on  the  wing.  It  vestures  earth  and  sky,  the  infinitely  small 
and  the  infinitely  great,  and  tells  the  story  of  either  with  absolute  exactness. 
Nothing  more  clearly  establishes  nature's  willingness  to  divulge  her  secrets 
than  this  marvelous  ministry  of  the  sun's  ray.  "Know  me,  learn  my  ways 
and  behavior,  and  I  will  teach  you  all,"  is  the  new  "bow  of  promise"  of 
light  to  science.  A  direct  ray  of  light  not  only  pictures  but  it  analyzes.  It 
breaks  itself  up,  at  the  will  of  the  scientists,  into  innumerable  indices  of 
refrangibility,  detailing  a  separate  messenger  for  each  individual  story  it  has 
to  tell. 

He  whose  name  initiates  this  review  has  attained  distinction  in  the  scien- 
tific world,  as  the  result  of  his  well  directed  study,  investigation  and  careful 
experimental  work,  and  in  no  one  line  have  the  practical  results  of  his  efforts 
been  more  pronounced  and  effective  than  in  those  closely  allied  to  the  art  or 
science  of  photography.  Revelations  of  the  ultimate  possibilities  of  photgo- 
raphy  have  been  made  rapidly  within  the  past  decade,  and  Dr.  Baekeland 
has  contributed  in  no  small  measure  toward  the  advance  movement.  As 
identified  with  one  of  the  principal  industrial  enterprises  of  Westchester 
county, — an  enterprise  whose  ramifications  are  of  wide  extent  and  whose 
basis  may  be  properly  said  to  be  of  semi-scientific  character,  —  Dr.  Baeke- 
land merits  distinct  representation  in  this  work,  which  has  to  do  with  those 
•who  have  been  and  those  who  are  identified  with  the  specific  progress  of  this 
favored  county  of  the  old  Empire  state. 

Leo  Hendrik  Baekeland  is  a  native  of  Belgium,  having  been  born  in  the 
famed  old  city  of  Ghent,  on  the  14th  of  November,  1863,  the  son  of  Karel 
Lodewyk  Baekeland  and  Rosalia  Merchie.  His  preliminary  educational  dis- 
cipline was  received  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city,  the  capital  of 
East  Flanders.  He  next  became  a  student  in  the  Athenaeum  in  Ghent,  in 
which  institution  he  was  prepared  for  the  university.  In  the  evenings  he  at- 
tended the  free  lectures  of  the  Technical  School  of  Ghent,  taking  the  free 
yearly  course  in  chemistry  and  graduating  with  honors  in  1880.  Soon  after 
his  graduation  the  young  man  was  offered  the  position  of  assistant  chemist  at 


506 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 


the  State  Agricultural  Station,  but  as  he  wished  to  continue  his  studies  and 
to  attain  the  highest  possible  degree  of  proficiency,  he  declined  to  accept  the 
offer,  and  within  the  same  year  matriculated  in  the  University  of  Ghent,  a 
government  institution,  being  the  youngest  student  in  that  institution. 
On  entering  the  university  Dr.  Baekeland  took  up  the  course  of  study 
in  the  medical  department,  but  it  was  a  notable  fact  that  chemistry 
and  natural  sciences  bad  a  special  attraction  for  him,  and  to  these 
branches  he  devoted  himself  with  marked  interest  and  zeal.  After  having 
passed  the  two  examinations  for  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Sciences,  summa 
cum  laude,  he  attracted  the  attention  of  the  professors  of  the  faculty  of 
sciences,  and  a  position  as  laboratory  assistant  in  chemistry  was  tendered  to 
him  and  accepted,  whereupon  he  indefinitely  renounced  the  specific  study  of 
medicine  for  that  of  the  natural  sciences.  His  devotion  to  his  work  was 
earnest  and  unremitting,  and  in  1884  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Natural 
Sciences  was  conferred  upon  him.  He  also  obtained  a  special  diploma  in 
chemistry,  passing  both  examinations  siinima  cum  laude,  which  required  nine- 
ty-five per  cent,  of  the  maximum  points  allowable. 

Ambitious  to  learn  and  to  accomplish  something  in  a  practical  way,  Dr. 
Baekeland  prepared  himself  to  accompany  one  of  the  scientific  expeditions 
which  were  then  being  organized  for  the  exploration  of  the  upper  Congo,  but 
just  as  he  was  about  to  take  his  departure  for  the  wilds  of  Africa  he  received 
the  appointment  of  first  assistant  professor  of  chemistry  in  the  University  of 
Ghent,  and  that  of  professor  of  chemistry  and  physics  at  the  government 
Normal  School  for  Sciences,  which  was  then  located  at  Bruges.    These  note- 
worthy appointments  naturally  caused  him  to  abandon  his  proposed  trip  to 
Africa.     In  the  meanwhile  he  had  given  to  the  world  the  results  of  certain 
of  his  original  researches  in  the  field  of  pure  chemistry,  by  the  publication  of 
works  exploiting  said  researches, — notably,  "A  New  and  Analytical  Method 
for  the  Separation  of  Copper  and  Cadmium,"  "Researches  on  the  Oxydation 
of  Hydrochloric  Acid  Under  the  Influence  of  Light,"  "Dissociation  of  Nitrate 
of  Lead,"  etc.     In  1887  he  was  proclaimed  laureate  in  chemistry  of  the  four 
Belgian  universities,  in  a  competition  among  all  alumni  who  had  obtained 
within  the  three  preceding  years  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Sciences  at  any  on& 
of  the  universities.    The  work  which  earned  him  this  distinction  was  his  origi- 
nal researches  on  the  phenomena  of  chemical  dissociation.   The  prize  awarded 
consisted  of  a  gold  medal,  two  thousand  francs'  worth  of  books,  and  a  two- 
yearly  subsidy  of  two  thousand  francs,  for  traveling  and  visiting  foreign  uni- 
versities.    The  Doctor  visited  the  higher  institutions  of  learning  in  Germany, 
England   and  Scotland,  and  subsequently  the  University  of  Ghent  promoted 
him  to  the  rank  of  associate  professor  of  chemistry,  after  he  had  resigned  his. 
position  as  professor  in  the  normal  school  at  Bruges. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  50T 

From  bis  boyhood  Dr.  Baekeland  had  been  an  enthusiastic  amateur  pho- 
tographer, and  it  is  needless  to  say  that  his  wide  knowledge  of  chemistry 
enabled  him  to  work  out  the  best  results  in  the  production  of  negatives,  while 
his  appreciation  of  the  artistic  values  in  photography  eventually  led  him  to 
the  series  of  experiments  which  brought  about  the  establishing  of  the  Nepera 
Chemical  Company,  with  which  he  is  now  so  conspicuously  identified.  When 
the  dry  plate  was  invented  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  try  this  process,  which 
was  revolutionizing  photography.  It  so  happened  that  in  Ghent  several  large 
dry-plate  manufactories  were  established,  and  that  later  on,  when  Dr.  Baeke- 
land had  begun  to  gain  some  reputation  as  a  chemist,  he  was  frequently  con- 
sulted by  these  manufacturers  in  regard  to  the  technical  difficulties  encoun- 
tered. About  1888  he  took  out  a  patent  for  an  improved  dry  plate,  which 
could  be  developed  in  a  tray  of  plain  water.  At  the  time,  this  invention  was 
a  very  important  one,  and  created  a  sensation;  but  since  then  the  methods  of 
developing  dry  plates  have  been  enormously  simplified,  thus  diminishing  the 
importance  of  his  invention. 

In  1889  Dr.  Baekeland  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Celine  Swarts, 
the  daughter  of  Professor  Theodore  Swarts,  dean  of  the  faculty  of  sciences- 
at  the  University  of  Ghent,  and  within  the  same  year — during  his  summer 
vacation — he  came  to  the  United  States  for  the  first  time.  His  expenses 
were  paid  by  the  Belgian  government,  the  object  of  the  trip  being  to  visit 
some  of  the  more  important  American  universities  and  colleges  and  make  a 
report  on  same.  While  here  he  was  consulted  by  certain  chemical-manu- 
facturing firms,  securing  suitable  recompense  for  his  services.  He  asked  for 
an  extension  of  his  leave  of  absence,  and,  this  being  granted,  he  remained 
here  a  few  months  longer,  — "  long  enough,"  as  the  Doctor  says,  "to  become 
thoroughly  enthused  with  American  ideas  and  American  institutions."  When 
he  returned  to  Belgium  he  there  remained  for  a  time,  but  his  experience  in 
the  United  States  prompted  him  to  return  hither  and  to  try  his  fortunes  in 
the  New  World,  with  whose  spirit  of  progress  and  vitality  he  was  thoroughly 
in  sympathy.  He  accordingly  resigned  his  position  at  the  university,  the 
special  privilege  being  granted  him  by  the  Belgian  government  of  retaining 
his  rank  and  title  of  associate  professor  of  the  University  of  Ghent.  He 
returned  to  the  United  States  in  the  month  of  September,  1890,  and  estab- 
lished himself  as  a  consulting  chemist  in  New  York  city,  where  he  remained 
until  1893,  when  he  removed  to  Yonkers,  Westchester  county,  where  he 
became  associated  with  his  friend,  Leonard  Jacobi  (who  is  individually  men- 
tioned elsewhere),  in  the  organization  of  the  Nepera  Chemical  Company, 
whose  history  has  been  one  of  marked  and  merited  success.  At  a  later  date 
Albert  G.  C.  Hahn,  M.S.,  became  identified  with  the  enterprise,  and  the 
three  gentlemen  mentioned  constitute  the  official  corps  of  the  company, — 


508  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

Mr.  Jacobi  being  president,  Dr.  Baekeland,  secretary,  and  Mr.  Hahn,  treas- 
urer. The  fine  manufactory  of  the  company  is  largely  devoted  to  the  pro- 
duction of  photgraphic  papers,  the  manufacture  and  the  final  manipulation  of 
which  are  based  on  original  and  improved  methods, — the  result  of  the  crit- 
ical investigation  and  practical  experimenting  on  the  part  of  the  subject  of 
this  review,  who  devotes  his  time  and  attention  to  laboratory  and  scientific 
work  having  a  bearing  on  the  continuous  improvement  of  the  processes  of 
manufacture  and  the  bringing  out  of  new  and  valuable  products.  Mr.  Jacobi 
devotes  his  attention  more  particularly  to  the  commercial  department  of  the 
enterprise,  promoting  and  expanding  its  interests  in  every  possible  direction, 
while  Mr.  Hahn  superintends  the  general  work  of  manufacturing.  The  com- 
pany has  not  satisfied  itself  with  the  limited  trade  derived  from  this  conti- 
nent, but  has  established  a  large  export  business,  there  being  hardly  a  civil- 
ized country  in  which  the  products  of  the  factory  are  not  to  be  found.  The 
leading  product  is  the  celebrated  "  Velox  "  paper,  whose  superiority  over  all 
other  photographic  papers  manufactured  either  in  this  country  or  abroad 
can  not  be  doubted.  It  is  hardly  in  the  province  of  this  article  to  enter  into 
details  in  regard  to  Velox  paper,  but  it  is  certainly  demanded  that  a  brief 
mention  of  the  same  be  made,  since  it  represents  the  practical  outcome  of 
careful  study  and  work  on  the  part  of  Dr.  Baekeland. 

In  a  little  brochure  issued  by  the  company  the  superior  claims  of ' '  Velox  " 
are  presented  in  a  very  attractive  way,  and  from  the  introductory  paragraph 
we  make  the  following  extracts: 

Ordinary  processes  of  printing,  toning  and  fixing  are  slow,  dirty  and  uncertain.  They 
require  sunshine,  patience,  persistent  attention;  unpleasant,  uncertain  and  expensive  chemical 
processes,— in  other  words,  time  and  outlay.  A  process  which  is  quick,  simple,  certain  and 
independent  of  sunlight,  increases  the  profits  of  the  professional  and  the  pleasure  of  the  ama- 
teur. Velox  paper  does  not  require  sunlight,  complex  chemical  processes  or  time.  It  prints 
by  sunlight,  daylight,  gaslight,  or  any  light  as  fast  as  frames  can  be  filled.  It  requires  no  toning 
and  no  long  and  tedious  chemical  manipulation.  It  is  clean,  easy,  simple  and  certain.  Velox 
paper  conquers  technical  difficulties  due  to  imperfect  methods,  and  thereby  gives  sole  promi- 
nence to  the  artistic  element,— that  which  makes  photography  an  art  instead  of  a  handicraft. 

In  short,  the  mere  fact  that  the  paper  is  susceptible  to  the  influence  of 
slow  light  is  sufficient  to  cause  it  to  supplant  all  papers  hitherto  used,— the 
uncertainty  of  printing,  owing  to  unfavorable  light,  having  seriously  handi- 
capped all  professional  photographists  who  have  had  recourse  to  the  ordinary 
types  of  photographic  paper.  But  superadded  to  this  point  of  great  superior- 
ity justly  claimed  for  Velox  are  others  of  almost  equal  importance  to  the 
artist.  The  simple  method  employed  in  bringing  the  prints  into  condition 
for  final  mounting  is  such  that  the  entire  processes  of  printing,  toning  and 
fixing  may  be  accomplished  in  less  time,  and  with  no  complicated  chemical 
combinations,  than  any  one  of  the  three  portions  of  the  work  would  require 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  509 

with  the  ordinary  aristo  or  albumen  papers.  Again,  the  full  values  of  the 
delicate  chiaroscuro  of  the  negative  are  preserved  with  even  greater  fidelity 
than  in  the  albumen  paper,  which  has  in  this  regard  always  surpassed  the 
more  modern  aristo  products,  while  the  Velox  insures  practical  permanency 
in  every,  print  made  thereon, — there  is  no  fading  or  disintegration.  More 
need  not  be  said  in  regard  to  the  result  of  the  labors  of  Dr.  Baekeland  along 
this  particular  line. 

We  have  already  referred  to  the  marriage  of  Dr.  Baekeland  to  Miss 
Swarts,  and  in  conclusion  we  may  note  that  to  them  three  children  have 
been  born:  The  first  child  was  born  in  Belguim  after  the  return  of  the  Doc- 
tor to  that  country  after  his  first  visit  to  the  United  States,  the  death  of  the 
first-born  occurring  in  Yonkers,  after  his  removal  here.  In  this  city  were 
born  his  son,  George  Washington  Baekeland,  and  his  little  daughter,  Nina, 
both  of  whom  lend  brightness  and  cheer  to  the  attractive  home,  which  is  a 
center  of  refined  hospitality. 


JOHN  M.  FURMAN,  A.  M. 


John  M.  Furman,  A.  M. ,  principal  of  the  Irving  Institute,  in  Tarrytown,^ 
New  York,  is  recognized  as  an  educator  of  high  standing.  During  the  eight 
years  of  his  connection  with  the  well  known  institution  just  mentioned  he  has- 
abundantly  proven  his  genius  and  special  aptitude  in  the  noble  field  of 
endeavor  which  he  has  chosen  to  be  his  life  work.  Year  by  year  he  has 
found  it  necessary  to  increase  the  facilities  of  the  institute,  the  patronage  of 
which  is  perceptably  gaining,  and  one  of  his  aims  being  to  provide  the  pupils 
entrusted  to  his  care  with  every  educational  appliance  and  advantage  possi- 
ble and  practicable. 

Forty-five  years  ago  the  Irving  Institute  was  founded,  and  each  year 
since  then  it  has  sent  representatives  to  the  leading  colleges  and  educational 
institutions  of  this  country.  The  various  buildings  of  the  schools,  erected 
expressly  for  the  purposes  of  the  institute,  are  well  lighted  and  heated  with 
modern  methods  and  all  the  conveniences  of  this  enlightened  age  add  to  the 
comfort  and  well-being  of  the  pupils.  The  buildings  are  situated  in  the  out- 
skirts of  Tarrytown,  on  high  ground,  and  the  beauty  of  the  surrounding 
country  and  the  healthfulness  of  the  location  are  among  the  favorable  feat- 
ures. A  gymnasium,  erected  in  1898,  is  equipped  for  thorough  physical 
exercise  and  development,  and  is  under  the  direction  of  a  competent 
instructor. 

The  fortunate  students  of  Irving  Institute  are  considered  as  members  of 
the  principal's  household,  and  particular  pains  is  taken  that  only  boys  and 
youths  of  good  family  and  moral  training  be  admitted  here.     Excellent  dis- 


510  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

cipline,  sufficiently  lenient,  yet  firm  and  judicious,  is  maintained,  and  incor- 
rigible pupils  are  not  permitted  to  remain  in  the  school.  In  every  respect 
the  institute  sustains  its  well-earned  reputation  of  being  a  model  school  for 
boys,  as  thousands  of  testimonials  from  leading  families  of  this  and  other 
states  have  voluntarily  testified.  The  able  corps  of  instructors  in  the  various 
branches  of  learning  are  headed  by  the  genial  and  popular  gentleman  whose 
name  stands  at  the  beginning  of  this  review.  With  an  elective  system  of 
studies  to  cover  the  admission  requirements  of  all  colleges,  all  of  the  benefits 
of  individual  and  class  training  are  to  be  found  here.  Recently  a  new  build- 
ing, containing  a  library  and  sixteen  additional  students'  rooms,  has  been 
added.  The  main  building  is  large  and  cheerful,  and  the  grounds  afford 
splendid  opportunities  for  all  kinds  of  out-door  sports. 

John  M.  Furman  was  born  in  Schenectady,  New  York,  September  30, 
1866.  He  received  his  preparatory  education  at  his  native  place,  and  in 
1889  graduated  from  Union  College.  In  1892  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts 
was  conferred  upon  him  by  his  alma  mater.  His  high  standing  and  scholar- 
ship led  to  his  being  tendered  the  position  of  principal  of  the  public  schools 
of  Cambridge,  New  York,  which  position  he  held  for  two  years.  In  1891 
he  became  principal  of  Irving  Institute.  Here  he  has  ample  scope  for  his 
financial  ability  as  well  as  his  skill  as  a  teacher  and  manager,  and  in  each  of 
these  departments  of  power  he  has  met  the  requirements  and  added  fresh 
laurels  to  his  name.  Parents  and  pupils  alike  attest  his  worth  and  popularity, 
and  few  indeed  possess  in  greater  degree  the  knowledge  of  the  successful 
management  of  growing  boys.  The  influences  of  a  refined  Christian  home 
surround  the  pupils,  and  every  effort  is  made  to  inculcate  in  them  upright 
principles  and  high  standards  of  action,  which  will  be  their  mainsprings  of 
■conduct  throughout  years  to  come. 


WASHBURN  BROTHERS. 


These  well  known  contractors  and  builders  of  Peekskill,  New  York,  have 
been  successfully  engaged  in  business  for  the  past  eighteen  years,  and  on  all 
sides  are  seen  many  notable  examples  of  their  skill.  The  firm  is  composed 
of  Harvey  M.  and  Silas  W.  Washburn,  and  during  the  busy  season  they  often 
employ  as  many  as  thirty  men.  Thoroughly  reliable  in  all  things,  the  quality 
of  their  work  is  a  convincing  test  of  their  personal  worth,  and  in  business 
circles  they  occupy  an  enviable  position. 

These  brothers  are  sons  of  Henry  S.  and  Margaret  (Green)  Washburn, 
in  whose  family  were  five  children,  all  still  living,  namely:  Harvey  M. ;  Silas 
W. ;  Josephine,  wife  of  A.  Donaldson,  of  New  Paltz,  Ulster  county.  New 
York;  George  J.,  who  is  engaged  in  business  at  Davenport,  Iowa;  and  Will- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  511 

iam,  a  carpenter  of  Peekskill.  During  the  greater  part  of  his  life  the  father 
was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  he  was  always  a  supporter  of  the 
men  and  measures  of  the  Democracy.  The  mother  was  an  earnest  and  con- 
sistent member  of  the  Methodist  church. 

Harvey  M.  Washburn  was  born  in  Dutchess  county,  New  York,  in  1848, 
and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  commenced  learning  the  carpenter's  trade, 
to  which  he  has  ever  since  devoted  his  time  and  attention  with  marked  suc- 
cess. He  was  married  at  Croton-on- Hudson,  July  24,  1874,  to  Miss  Isabella 
Purdy,  a  daughter  of  Silas  J.  Purdy,  a  farmer  at  that  place,  and  she  died 
leaving  three  children:  Edith,  Catherine  and  Marion.  In  his  political  views 
Mr.  Washburn  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  has  been  quite  prominently  identified 
with  local  affairs,  has  served  in  several  township  offices,  and  at  present  is 
filling  the  position  of  assessor. 

Silas  W.  Washburn  is  also  a  native  of  Dutchess  county,  born  in  1850, 
and  he  began  work  at  his  trade  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years.  On  the  i8th 
of  November,  1881,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Eliza  L.  Lefferts, 
of  Sing  Sing,  by  whom  he  has  two  sons,  Ralph  L.  and  Randall  G.  Her 
father  died  when  she  was  a  child  and  her  mother  afterward  married  William 
Grant,  of  Sing  Sing.  Mr.  Washburn  takes  an  active  interest  in  political 
affairs,  and  as  a  pronounced  Democrat  he  is  prominent  in  political  circles. 
He  is  now  serving  as  president  and  trustee  of  the  fire  company  at  Peekskill. 
He  was  also  elected  member  of  the  board  of  water  commissioners  in  1898, 
and  is  now  serving  as  president  of  the  board.  The  brothers  are  both  public- 
spirited  and  progressive  citizens,  giving  their  support  to  all  measures  for  the 
public  good,  and  those  who  know  them  best  are  numbered  among  their 
warmest  friends. 


S.   WOOD  CORNELL. 


S.  W.  Cornell,  dealer  in  lumber  and  coal,  manager  of  the  Cornell  Lime 
Company,  manufacturers  of  snowflake  lime,  and  president  of  the  Nannanagan 
Ice  Company,  of  Pleasantville,  New  York,  is  entitled  to  distinction  as  one  of 
the  most  progressive  and  enterprising  business  men  of  Westchester  county. 
Upon  the  commercial  activity  of  a  community  depends  its  prosperity,  and 
the  men  who  are  now  recognized  as  leading  citizens  are  those  who  are  at  the 
head  of  extensive  business  enterprises.  He  is  a  man  of  broad  capabilities 
who  carries  forward  to  successful  completion  whatever  he  undertakes. 

Mr.  Cornell  was  born  in  Ulster  county,  New  York.  November  26,  1854, 
and  is  a  son  of  William  T.  Cornell,  now  deceased.  His  mother,  who  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Elizabeth  Wood,  was  a  daughter  of  Stephen  Wood,  of 
Mount  Kisco,  New  York.     Our  subject,  one   of  a  family  of  three  children. 


512  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

was  reared  in  this  county,  attending  the  Mount  Kisco  schools  and  later 
boarding  schools  at  Poughkeepsie,  New  York  and  Providence,  Rhode  Island. 
Mr.  Cornell  is  a  most  energetic  and  wide-awake  business  man,  giving 
strict  attention  to  every  detail  of  the  business  under  his  control,  and  in  his 
undertakings  he  has  met  with  a  well  deserved  success.  He  is  now  treasurer 
of  the  Cornell  Lime  Company,  manufacturers  of  snowflake  lime  for  building 
and  chemical  purposes,  their  works  being  established  in  1865.  He  is  one  of 
the  most  popular  and  influential  men  of  his  community  and  his  circle  of 
friends  and  acquaintances  is  extensive.  Politically  he  is  an  enthusiastic 
Republican. 

HENRY  SWEET. 

The  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  New  Rochelle  Pioneer,  Henry  Sweet,  is 
one  of  the  influential  men  of  the  town,  and  we  take  pleasure  in  here  referring 
personally  to  him  in  presenting  a  brief  review  of  the  publication  of  which  he 
is  the  head. 

Looking  first  at  the  history  of  the  New  Rochelle  Pioneer,  we  find  it  was 
established  in  1859 by  John  Dyott,  an  Englishman,  an  actor,  who  had  settled 
in  this  country  some  years  before,  and  who  conducted  the  paper  for  a  number 
of  years.  Afterward  it  was  for  several  years  run  by  his  son  and  daughter,  the 
latter  now  being  Mrs.  A.  Major,  of  New  York  city.  In  1882  it  was  sold  to 
Charles  G.  Banks,  Esq. ,  who  subsequently  became  associated  with  Henry  C. 
Henderson,  under  the  firm  name  of  Banks  &  Henderson,  and  from  this  firm- 
it  passed  into  the  hands  of  Steadman  &  Sweet.  In  the  year  1885  the  senior 
partner  conducted  it  until  his  death,  in  1889,  after  which  his  wife  assumed 
her  husband's  interests,  and  the  paper  was  edited  by  Mr.  Sweet  until  March 
I,  1890.  Then  Mr.  Sweet  purchased  Mrs.  Steadman's  interests,  and  has 
since  been  sole  proprietor.  In  1897  he  erected  his  new  building,  a  brick 
structure,  thirty-two  by  ninety  feet,  and  two  stories  high,  and  in  March,  1898, 
moved  into  it,  now  having  a  modern  and  complete  establishment. 

The  Pioneer  is  an  eight-page,  six-column  paper,  up  to  date  in  every 
respect,  has  a  large  circulation  in  the  town  and  county,  and  is  the  organ  of  the 
Republican  party  of  the  village. 

Mr.  Sweet  is  a  native  of  New  Rochelle.  He  was  born  in  this  town,  June 
28,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Eliza  Sweet,  natives  of  London,  Eng- 
land. His  parents  came  to  New  Rochelle  in  1853,  where  his  father  died  in 
1869,  his  mother  still  residing  there.  For  eight  years  his  father  was  sexton 
of  Trinity  church.  New  Rochelle,  which  position,  after  his  father's  death,  has 
been  held  continuously  up  to  the  present  day  by  his  eldest  brother,  Joseph. 
After  coming  to  New  Rochelle,  Mr.  Sweet's  father  was  a  manufacturer  of 
seals  for  legal  papers  of  various  kinds  in  the  employ  of  Thaddeus  Davids- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  513 

&  Company,  whose  place  of  business  is  at  127  and  129  William  street,  New 
York  city. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  town.  On  leaving  school  he  was  employed  at  different  places  in  the 
town  until  he  became  connected  with  the  newspaper  business,  in  which  capacity 
he  has  proven  himself  master  of  the  situation. 

He  was  j:narried,  in  1894,  to  Miss  Lucy  Kirchhoff,  second  daughter 
of  Joseph  Kirchhoff,  an  old  resident  and  highly  respected  citizen  of  New 
Rochelle.     They  have  one  daughter. 


FRANK  R.   HOLMES. 

Holding  rank  among  the  leading  business  men  of  Mount  Vernon,  Frank 
Riggs  Holmes  is  well  known  intommercial  circles  and  sustains  a  high  reputa- 
tion for  reliability  and  enterprise.  He  was  born  in  New  York  city,  January 
16,  1868,  a  son  of  Wilham  and  Lizzie  (Kerchof)  Holmes.  The  ancestry  of 
the  family  can  be  traced  back  to  Francis  Holmes  and  his  wife.  Ann,  who  leav- 
ing their  home  in  Yorkshire,  England,  in  1660,  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America 
and  took  up  their  residence  in  Stamford,  Connecticut.  Later  they  removed 
to  Bedford,  Weschester  county.  New  York,  becoming  pioneer  settlers  of  that 
locality.  One  of  their  sons,  James  Holmes,  a  direct  ancestor  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  and  John  Holmes,  Sr.,  became  one  of 
the  original  proprietors  of  Bedford  in  1681.  He  had  six  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, and  died  in  1720,  at  the  age  of  ninety  years.  Richard  Holmes  married 
Miss  Mary  Miller,  and  the.y  "reside  in  the  town  of  Bedford,  Westchester 
county.  He  served  as  tax  collector  in  1724,  and  later  participated  in  the 
French  and  Indian  war.  One  of  his  sons,  Richard  Holmes,  was  a  lieutenant 
in  the  British  army  in  1737,  and  was  the  father  of  Peter  Holmes,  who  married 
Mary  Holmes,  and  served  his  country  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  held 
the  rank  of  ensign,  and  later  he  again  entered  his  country's  service  in  the  war 
of  1812.  John  Holmes,  a  son  of  Peter,  was  born  December  31,  1752,  also 
loyally  espoused  the  cause  of  independence  as  a  Revolutionary  hero  and  was 
at  one  time  a  member  of  the  continental  congress.  He  married  Catherine 
Slawson,  May  13,  1779,  and  died  December  24,  1839.  One  of  his  sons, 
James  Holmes,  was  born  May  27,  1784,  married  Elizabeth  Starr,  and  died 
in  Monticello,  New  York,  in  1817. 

William  A.  Holmes,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Bedford,  and  after  attaining  to  man's  estate  became  engaged  in  the  real- 
estate  business  in  New  York  city.  He  possessed  splendid  business  and  exec- 
utive   ability,   and  by  his   judicious   investments    and   careful   management 

amassed  considerable  property.     The  latter  years,  of  his  life  were  spent  in 
33 


514  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

retirement  from  business  cares,  in  his  pleasant  home  in  Mount  Vernon.  In 
his  political  views  he  was  a  stanch  Republican,  and  while  residing  in  Dutphess 
county,  New  York,  he  held  the  office  of  judge.  He  first  married  a  Miss  Brill, 
and  their  son,  James  Henry  Holmes,  is  ex-secretary  of  the  territory  of  New 
Mexico,  and  is  now  a  prominent  lawyer  and  real-estate  dealer  of  New  York 
•  city.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  Judge  Holmes  married  Alta  Riggs,  who 
is  still  living,  at  the  age  of  ninety  years.  Their  children  .were  William; 
-Agnes,  wife  of  Robert  Taylor,  a  physician  of  New  York  city;  and  Herbert, 
who  is  living  a  retired  life  in  Mount  Vernon.  Betsy  Holmes,  the  wife  of  a 
"Mr.  Squires,  who  served  in  the  Revolution,  lived  to  be  one  hundred  and  two 
years  of  age. 

William  Holmes,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Poughquag, 
Dutchess  county,  in  December,  1844,  attended  the  district  schools  of  that 
meighborhood,  and  the  public  schools  of  New  York  city.  There  he  engaged 
an  business  with  his  father,  and  subsequently  became  the  owner  of  consider- 
■able  property.  For  some  time  he  carried  on  the  grocery  trade  at  the  corner 
of  Fortieth  street  and  Sixth  avenue,  but  in  1887  he  removed  with  his  family 
to  Mount  Vernon,  where  he  has  since  conducted  a  large  and  profitable  gro- 
cery and  dairy  business.  He  has  admitted  his  son  Frank  to  a  partnership, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Holmes  &  Son,  and  the  firm  ranks  foremost  among 
the  leaders  in  the  line.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  Republican,  socially  he 
ds  connected  with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  in  his  religious  views  he  is  a 
Presbyterian.  He  was  also  at  one  time  a  member  of  the  old  volunteer  fire 
department  of  New  York  city.  He  has  two  sons,  Frank  R.  and  Robert  Wal- 
lace, the  latter  an  electrician,  formerly  with  the  Edison  Electric  Company, 
but  now  a  resident  of  Denver,  Colorado. 

Frank  Riggs  Holmes  pursued  his  education  in  the  pubhc  schools  of  New 
York  city  and  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1888.  He  then  engaged  in 
the  brush-importing  business  in  the  metropolis  for  a  time,  and  later  was  con- 
nected with  other  enterprises.  In  the  meantime  he  had  become  interested 
in  the  grocery  and  dairy  business  at  Mount  Vernon,  and  in  1897  removed  his 
family  to  this  city,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  now  devotes  his  attention 
almost  exclusively  to  the  conduct  of  their  extensive  trade.  They  have  a  large 
and  well  appointed  grocery  store  and  employ  three  wagons  in  the  dehvery  of 
their  goods.  They  also  have  a  number  of  wagons  used  in  delivering  their 
dairy  products  to  the  customers,  their  trade  in  that  line  being  larger  than  that 
of  any  other  dairy  firm  in  the  city. 

Mr.  Holmes  was  married  on  the  7th  of  June,  1892,  the  lady  of  his  choice 
being  Miss  Grace  S.  Baily,  a  daughter  of  Lewis  and  Ann  M.  (Scott)  Baily. 
Her  father  is  engaged  in  the  leather  business  in  New  York  city,  and  is  a  vet- 
eran of  the  Seventh  Regiment,  New  York  State  National  Guard.   Mrs.  Holmes 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  515 

is  an  only  daughter,  and  by  her  marriage  -she  has  two  children,  Dorothy 
Anna  and  Frank  R.  Mr.  Holmes  and  his  family  occupy  a  very  fine  residence 
on  Clinton  Place,  Chester  Hill,  Mount  Vernon,  and  their  home  is  the  center 
of  a  cultured  society  circle.  Mr.  Holmes  is  a  member  of  Hiawatha  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Golden  Rod  Council,  Royal  Arcanum.  His  political  sup- 
port is  given  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Republican  party,  but  office-hold- 
ing has  had  no  attraction  for  him,  his  attention  being  fully  occupied  with  his 
extensive  business  interests  and  his  social  duties.  His  genial  manner  renders 
him  popular  in  all  circles,  and  he  is  accounted  one  of  the  leading  and  valued 
citizens  of  Mount  Vernon. 


EZRA  M.  POWELL. 


Ezra  Marshall  Powell,  of  Cortlandt  township,  Westchester  county. 
New  York,  was  born  in  this  county,  December  29,  18 19,  the  son  of  Stephen 
Powell  and  grandson  of  John  Powell.  John  Powell  was  of  Scotch  descent, 
and  both  he  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth,  lived  for  many  years  at  Somerstown, 
Westchester  county,  of  which  place  they  were  early  settlers,  and  there  they 
died  and  were  buried.  Stephen  Powell  was  born  in  Somerstown.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Fanny  Hyatt,  daughter  of  Samuel  Hyatt,  of  Westchester  county, 
and  to  them  were  born  nine  children,  viz. :  David,  Daniel,  Stephen,  Joseph, 
William,  Ezra  M.,  Deborah,  Earl  and  Mary.  All  of  this  large  family  are 
deceased  except  Ezra  M.,  the  subject  of  our  sketch.  The  mother  died  at 
the  age  of  seventy-three  years,  and  the  father  was  eighty-two  when  he  died. 
He  was  a  man  of  many  sterling  qualities,  was  by  occupation  a  farmer,  and 
in  religion  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  commonly  designated 
Quakers. 

Ezra  M.  Powell  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  county,  and 
farming  has  been  his  life  work.  He  was,  however,  for  some  time  interested 
in  the  insurance  business.  For  the  past  thirty-two  years  he  has  hved  on  his 
present  farm,  formerly  known  as  the  Thonell  Jacobs  farm.  It  consists  of 
twenty  acres,  is  located  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  village  of  Peekskill,  and 
is  under  a  most  perfect  state  of  cultivation. 

Mr.  Powell  was  married  in  Cortlandt  township,  November  20,  1849,  to 
Miss  Mary  Elizabeth  Miller,  a  native  of  this  township  and  a  daughter  of 
Cornite  Miller.  They  have  had  three  children:  Louisa,  who  died,  aged 
eleven  years;  and  Fanny  and  Hattie.  Fanny  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Yellott. 
Hattie  became  the  wife  of  Samuel  Pugsley,  who  died,  leaving  his  widow  with 
two  children.  Flossy  and  Winnie.  Mrs.  Pugsley  lost  one  child,  Lilian,  at 
the  age  of  twelve  years  and  six  months.  Mr.  Powell's  daughter,  Fanny, 
was  educated  in  the  State  Normal  School  at  Albany,  New  York.    Mr.  Powell 


516  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

and  his  family  are  all  consistent  members  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  church  at 
Peekskill. 

Mr.  Powell  has  served  as  commissioner  of  highways  in  Cortlandt  town- 
ship for  three  terms  of  three  years  each,  and  is  a  very  worthy  citizen. 
Politically  he  affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party. 


JAMES  HOPKINS. 

James  Hopkins,  of  Armonk,  Westchester  county,  was  born  March  i, 
1830,  in  the  county  in  which  he  now  lives  and  in  which  he  has  made  his  home 
to  the  present  time.  He  traces  his  ancestry  back  in  a  direct  line  to  England 
and  to  the  year  16 16. 

Thomas  Hopkins,  a  son  of  William  and  Joanna  (Arnold)  Hopkins,  was 
born  in  England,  April  7,  1616,  and  came  to  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  about 
1640.  He  had  three  sons.  With  his  daughter-in-law  and  her  two  children 
he  removed  to  Little  Neck,  near  Musketo  Cove,  now  called  Glen  Cove,  Long 
Island,  and  died  there  in  1684.  His  children  were  Ichabod,  who  married 
Sarah  Coles  and  died  in  1726,  leaving  children:  Thomas,  who  married  Mar- 
garet Pine  in  1738;  Daniel,  who  married  Anny  Weeks;  Elizabeth,  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  Benjamin  Birdsall  in  1734;  Ann,  who  never  married;  and 
Sarah,  who  became  the  wife  of  Joseph  Merritt  in  1736. 

Thomas,  the  son  of  Ichabod,  moved  to  the  town  of  North  Castle,  Ne~w 
York,  about  the  year  1740.  The  children  of  Thomas  and  his  wife  Margaret 
were  Thomas,  Daniel,  Benjamin,  Margaret,  Naomy  and  Ann.  Thomas,  the 
son  of  Thomas,  was  born  in  1740,  and  married,  January  14,  1767,  Zeruiah 
Palmer,  according  to  the  rules  of  order  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  at  their 
meeting-house  in  the  Purchase,  and  to  them  six  children  were  born,  namely: 
James,  born  October  14,  1767,  married  Mary  Tripp  and  died  August  29,  1859; 
Elizabeth,  born  June  5,  1769,  married  Job  Cox  and  died  September  30,  1828; 
Samuel,  born  June  8,  1771,  died  September  i,  1828;  Mary,  who  was  born 
August  14,  1773,  died  unmarried,  December  5,  1825;  Thomas,  Jr.,  who  was 
born  June  27,  1783,  died  July  17,  1837;  and  Pine,  who  was  born  February 
14,  1786,  married  Hannah  Tripp  and  died  August  29,  1856. 

James  Hopkins,  the  first,  married  Mary  Tripp,  and  to  them  were  born 
two  sons, — John  and  Alfred.  The  latter  married  Mary  Brower,  and  their 
union  was  blessed  in  the  birth  of  one  child,  Eleanor,  who  is  now  living  at 
Stamford,  Connecticut.  John  T.  Hopkins  married  Hannah  Dayton,  a  native 
of  the  same  county  in  which  he  was  born  and  a  daughter  of  David  and  Martha 
(Wood)  Dayton.  This  worthy  couple  became  the  parents  of  five  children, 
viz.:  Alexander,  deceased;  Ed.  R.,  also  deceased;  James,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Josephine,  deceased;  and  Mary  Elizabeth,  who  married  William  Ire- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  517 

land.  Their  father  was  a  merchant  and  a  farmer,  and  died  in  1868,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-six  years;  their  mother  Hved  to  be  sixty  years  of  age.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church. 

After  reaching  manhood  James  Hopkins  turned  his  attention  to  mer- 
chandising, and  from  1857  to  1880  kept  a  general  store.  He  has  for  years 
been  more  or  less  interested  in  pohtical  matters,  and  has  filled  a  number  of 
positions  of  prominence  and  trust  in  his  township.  His  first  presidential  vote 
was  cast  for  John  C.  Fremont,  in  1856,  and  he  has  ever  since  given  his  sup- 
port to  the  Republican  party.  Among  the  offices  tendered  to  him  by  his 
party  are  those  of  postmaster,  which  position  he  accepted  and  filled  for 
twenty-three  years;  town  supervisor,  twelve  years,  and  was  chairman  of  the 
board  the  last  year  of  his  service;  and  township  clerk  and  justice  of  the 
peace.  He  resides  upon  a  farm  near  Armonk,  where  he  has  a  pleasant  and 
attractive  home,  which  he  is  pleased  to  call  Brookside. 

In  1850  Mr.  Hopkins  married  Miss  Mary  J.  Smith,  a  daughter  of  Abram 
and  Caroline  Smith.  Her  father  was  a  well  known  and  popular  citizen  of 
Westchester  county  and  has  long  been  deceased.  Their  happy  union  lasted 
for  a  period  of  twenty-six  years  and  ended  with  her  death  in  1876, — the 
great  loss  in  Mr.  Hopkins'  life.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  Of  the  five  children  born  to  them  only  two  are  living, — • 
Edwin  R.  and  Abram  S.  The  deceased  were  Josephine,  Carrie  and  James 
Warren.  Both  his  sons  are  married  and  settled  in  life.  Edwin  R.  married 
Miss  Cornelia  Davis,  and  they  have  two  children, — Floyd  and  Edwin.  Abram 
S.  married  Miss  Anna  Flewellin,  and  five  children  were  born  to  them:  Mary 
I.,  who  died  in  1897,  Niles,  Eulalia,  Gertrude  and  A.  Josephine. 

Since  1881  Mr.  Hopkins  had  devoted  his  energies  to  the  mastery  of  the 
business  of  farming,  the  most  ennobling  employment  in  the  world,  but  finds 
that  he  commenced  too  late  in  life  to  realize  the  best  results.  For  a  number 
of  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  managers  of  the  Agricultural 
and  Horticultural  Society  of  Westchester,  county,  of  which  he  has  been 
president  for  the  last  two  years.  He  has  long  been  a  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  church  at  Armonk,  and  as  a  member  of  the  building  committee 
assisted  in  the  erection  of  the  new  church  edifice,  which  is  one  of  the  attrac- 
tions of  the  village,  and  he  has  held  the  office  of  trustee  of  the  society  for 
many  years. 

REUBEN  BORLAND. 

Though  but  thirty-one  years  of  age,  Reuben  Borland,  one  of  the  native- 
born  sons  of  the  city  of  Yonkers,  occupies  a  position  of  responsibility  ^nd 
trust  such  as  few  young  men  of  his  age  are  honored  with.  The  confidence 
and  regard  in  which  he  is  held  by  his  employers,  however,  is  not  misplaced, 


518  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

for  no  one  could  have  a  more  thorough  sense  of  duty  or  more  earnest  desire 
to  meet  every  requirement  of  an  important  and  difficult  position  than  he,  and 
during  the  fifteen  years  of  his  service  for  his  firm  he  has  always  been  found 
faithful  to  their  interests,  active  and  anxious  to  promote  their  welfare. 

The  birth  of  Reuben  Borland  took  place  in  Yonkers  on  the  2d  of  March, 
1868.  He  is  a  son  of  James  and  Sarah  (Sloss)  Borland,  and  when  he  had 
attained  a  suitable  age  he  became  a  student  in  the  public  schools  of  this  city. 
He  was  graduated  here  in  1883  and  soon  afterward  entered  upon  his  business 
career.  Entering  the  employ  of  the  famed  Alexander  Smith  Carpet  Com- 
pany, he  began  at  the  bottom  rounds  of  the  ladder,  and  was  gradually  pro- 
moted from  spool-boy  in  the  sitting  department  to  one  and  another  position, 
and  finally  was  made  foreman  of  the  yarn  department.  Then,  having 
become  thoroughly  familiar  with  every  detail  of  the  sitting  department,  and 
having  served  for  four  or  five  years  as  assistant  foreman,  he  was  promoted  to 
the  post  of  foreman,  and  acted  in  that  capacity  until  1894.  For  the  past  four 
years  he  has  been  superintendent  of  the  great  "moquette"  mill,  where  he 
has  five  foremen  to  assist  him,  and  has  under  his  supervision  about  eighteen 
hundred  persons.  In  this  mill  are  manufactured  moquette  carpets,  the  hand- 
somest and  most  expensive  carpets  that  are  made.  The  Alexander  Smith 
Carpet  Company  has  a  world-wide  reputation,  and  is,  indeed,  the  most 
extensive  concern  of  the  kind  in  this  or  any  other  country.  Forty-five  hun- 
dred persons  are  employed  by  the  establishment,  and  the  carpets  which  are 
manufactured  here  find  their  way  into  every  portion  of  the  civilized  world. 
The  highest  possible  excellence  of  goods,  quality,  style  and  workmanship  is 
maintained,  and  thus  the  great  importance  of  Mr.  Borland's  position  is 
apparent.  He  duly  appreciates  the  high  esteem  in  which  his  superiors  hold 
him,  and  for  years  their  business  relations  have  been  of  the  pleasantest  and 
most  satisfactory  nature  all  around. 

In  local  society  Mr.  Borland  is  a  great  favorite,  and  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Hollywood  Gun  Club.  His  principal  diversion  in  his  leisure  moments, 
however,  is  music.  He  has  become  very  proficient  on  the  violin,  and  is 
taking  a  special  course  of  instruction  to  further  perfect  himself  in  the  use  of 
that  instrument.  In  political  affairs  he  is  a  stalwart  Republican.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Episcopal  church,  and  is  liberal  in  his  gifts  to  religious  and 
charitable  enterprises. 

EDWARD  WHITE. 

To  a  student  of  human  nature  there  is  nothing  of  greater  interest  than 
to  examine  the  life  of  a  self-made  man  and  analyze  the  principles  that  he  has 
followed,  the  methods  he  has  pursued;  to  know  what  means  he  has  employed 
for  advancement,  and  to  study  the  plans  which  have  given  him  prominence, 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  519 

enabling  him  to  pass  on  the  highway  of  life  many  who  have  had  a  more 
advantageous  start.  Through  his  own  efforts  Mr.  White  has  attained  to  a 
position  of  prominence  in  business  circles,  and  he  is  to-day  a  leading  mer- 
chant and  undertaker  of  Croton,  New  York. 

He  was  born  in  that  place,  November  23,  1851,  and  is  a  son  of  Patrick 
and  Margaret  (Cartigan)  White,  both  natives  of  Ireland,  the  former  born  in 
Queens  county,  the  latter  in  county  Kilkenny.  When  young  they  crossed 
the  Atlantic,  and  their  marriage  was  celebrated  in  New  York  city.  On  coming 
to  Westchester  county  they  located  on  the  sand  flat  below  the  old  Croton 
dam,  and  when  the  dam  gave  way  they  lost  all  their  property  and  barely 
escaped  with  their  lives.  The  father,  who  was  a  laborer,  died  in  the  prime 
of  life,  at  about  the  age  of  forty-seven  years.  In  his  family  were  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  four  are  now  deceased.  In  order  of  birth  they  are  as  follows: 
William,  who  was  foreman  in  the  brickyard  at  Virplanks,  and  is  now  deceased; 
Charles,  a  boatsman,  deceased;  Mary  Ann;  John,  deceased,  who  was  for  many 
years  captain  of  engine  No.  12,  fire  department,  New  York  city;  Catherine; 
Margaret;  Thomas,  a  grocer  of  Peekskill,  New  York;  Edward;  and  Elizabeth, 
who  is  deceased. 

At  the  early  age  of  nine  years  Edward  White  began  earning  his  own 
livelihood  as  an  employe  in  a  brick-yard,  and  he  continued  to  follow  that 
occupation  until  he  attained  his  majority,  during  which  time  he  saved  his 
money  and  assisted  in  caring  for  his  aged  mother.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 
he  decided  to  embark  in  business  on  his  own  account,  in  connection  with  his 
brother  Thomas,  and  at  the  end  of  two  years  they  had  saved  from  their  earnings 
six  hundred  dollars,  after  having  paid  off  an  indebtedness  of  one  hundred 
and  seventy-five  dollars.  With  this  capital  they  started  in  business,  spend- 
ing five  hundred  dollars  for  a  stock  of  groceries  and  liquors,  and  in  this  way 
the  present  mercantile  establishment  of  our  subjects  was  founded.  At  the 
end  of  about  four  years  they  dissolded  partnership  and  Edward  has  since 
been  alone.  He  has  a  good  general  store,  well  stocked  with  a  high  class  of 
goods,  and  since  1884  has  also  been  interested  in  the  undertaking  business, 
doing  the  only  business  in  that  line  in  the  village.  At  Sing  Sing  he  also 
established  a  business  similar  to  his  own  in  Croton,  and  in  partnership  with 
John  Dorsey  the  store  is  conducted  under  the  firm  style  of  White  &  Dorsey. 

Mr.  White  has  since  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being  Miss  Mary  Ann 
Vaughey,  and  she  and  the  three  children  born  to  them  all  died  within  a  few 
months.  His  second  union  was  with  Miss  Elizabeth  Donovan,  by  whom  he 
has  had  four  children,  Maggie,  Mamie  and  Catharine,  all  living,  and  one 
deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  are  communicants  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
church,  but  Mr.  White  gives  liberally  of  his  means  to  the  support  of  all 
churches,  and  his  aid  is  never  witheld  from  any  enterprise  which  he  believes 


520  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

will  prove  of  good  to  the  community.  He  is  a  public-spirited,  progressive 
citizen,  broad-minded  and  liberal  in  his  views,  and  has  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  all  who  know  him.  The  Democratic  party  has  always  found  in 
him  a  stanch  supporter  of  its  principles,  and  he  has  been  an  influential  dele- 
gate to  its  various  county  conventions,  and  has  also  been  a  member  of  the 
town  committee  for  years.  For  five  or  six  years  he  filled  the  office  of  over- 
seer of  the  poor,  and  is  now  president  of  the  board  of  fire  commissioners. 


BENJAMIN  FAGAN. 


Mr.  Fagan,  who  is  a  well-known  attorney  of  Sing  Sing,  is  one  of  the 
younger  members  of  the  Westchester  county  bar,  but  his  prominence  is  by 
no  means  measured  by  his  years;  on  the  contrary,  he  has  already  won  a  repu- 
tation which  many  an  older  practitioner  might  well  envy. 

Mr.  Fagan  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  April  i,  1874,  and  is  a  son 
of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Guilfoil)  Fagan,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  the 
Emerald  Isle,  and  who  now  reside  at  Sing  Sing.  The  father,  who  is  a  stone- 
cutter by  occupation,  is  of  Irish  descent  and  has  made  his  home  in  West- 
chester county  for  the  past  thirty  years.  In  the  family  are  six  children, 
namely:  Edward,  a  manufacturer  of  metallic  roofing  paint  at  Lincoln, 
Nebraska;  John,  a  resident  of  Westchester  county  and  a  member  of  the 
engineering  corps  of  New  York  city;  Frank,  a  stonecutter  of  Sing  Sing; 
Catharine  E.,  at  home;  Joseph,  also  a  stonecutter  of  Sing  Sing;  and 
Benjamin. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  first  attended  public  schools  and  later  a  pre- 
paratory school,  after  which  he  entered  Cornell  University  in  1892,  taking  a 
complete  course  in  law.  There  the  degree  of  LL.B.  was  conferred  upon 
him  June  21,  1894,  and  the  degree  of  LL.  M.  June  20,  1895.  In  the  latter 
year  he  opened  an  office  in  Sing  Sing,  and  has  since  successfully  engaged  in 
practice,  making  a  specialty  of  corporation  and  real-estate  law.  He  is  thor- 
oughly in  love  with  his  profession  and  is  eminently  gifted  with  the  capabihties 
of  mind  which  are  indispensable  at  the  bar.  As  a  Democrat  he  takes  quite 
an  active  and  prominent  part  in  political  affairs  and  is  an  efficient  campaign 
worker  in  this  state.  Religiously,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church  of 
Sing  Sing. 

JAMES  F.  HUNT. 

The  well  known  and  popular  young  postmaster  of  Croton,  New   York, 

has  spent  his  entire  life  at  that  place,  his   birth   occurring  there  January  31, 

1869.     His  father,  John  Hunt,  was  a  native  of  Kings  county,  Ireland,  and 

was  twice  married,  having  by  his  first  wife  one  child.      In  New  York  city,  he 


//^^i^^^u^>^  v^J^^^a-^^^:, 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  521 

wedded  Miss  Ellen  McGuire,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  and  in  1866  they 
removed  to  Westchester  county,  where  he  worked  as  a  laborer  until  life's 
labors  were  over  and  he  was  called  to  his  final  rest,  in  1882.  In  religious 
faith  he  was  a  Roman  Catholic. 

The  schools  of  Croton  afforded  James  F.  Hunt  his  educational  advant- 
ages, and  when  his  school  days  were  over  he  engaged  in  various  forms  of 
labor.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  years  he  commenced  working  at  brick-making 
and  while  thus  employed  attended  school  during  the  winter  months.  He 
made  excellent  use  of  his  opportunities  and  passed  the  required  examination 
at  North  Tarrytown  for  the  normal  course.  He  early  learned  that  knowledge 
is  the  key  with  which  the  poor  boy  anywhere  can  open  the  storehouse  of  the 
world  and  cull  its  choicest  fruits,  and  he  has  therefore  fitted  himself  to 
occupy  any  position  in  life  which  may  fall  to  his  lot. 

Mr.  Hunt  always  gives  his  political  support  to  the  men  and  measures  of 
the  Democracy,  and  takes  a  deep  interest  in  local  affairs.  On  the  25th  of 
May,  1895,  hs  was  first  appointed  postmaster  of  Croton,  and  when  the  office 
was  raised  to  that  of  the  third  class  he  was  reappointed,  October  i,  1896, 
and  on  the  expiration  of  his  commission,  in  February,  1897,  was  again 
appointed  to  the  same  position,  as  he  had  so  creditably  and  satisfactorily 
discharged  his  duties.  He  was  also  appointed  notary  public  in  May,  1897, 
by  ex-Governor  Black,  and  still  holds  that  office. 


JAMES  H.  JACKSON. 


True'  merit  is  recognized  sooner  or  later,  the  exceptions  simply  proving 
the  rule;  and  thus  it  has  been  in  the  case  of  James  H.  Jackson,  a  well  known 
citizen  of  Yonkers,  who  has  climbed  to  the  very  responsible  position  which 
he  now  occupies,  solely  on  account  of  his  genuine  business  ability  and  per- 
sonal worth.  His  superiors  in  the  great  commercial  house  with  which  he  is 
connected  feel  that  in  him  they  have  one  in  whom  they  can  place  implicit 
trust  and  confidence,  certain  that  he  will  not  neglect  the  least  of  his  duties, 
and  that  everything  which  he  agrees  to  accomplish  will  be  promptly  and  con- 
scientiously performed.  Such  employes  are  the  strong  foundations  on  which 
every  successful  business  is  reared,  and  the  great  and  prosperous  merchants 
=of  this  decade  acknowledge  this  fact  cheerfully  and  act  accordingly. 

James  H.  Jackson  comes  from  sturdy  Protestant-Irish  stock,  than  which 
there  is  none  better  nor  more  loyal  to  the  highest  motives  which  govern 
citizens  of  this  great  republic,  once  they  have  come  under  its  mantle  of 
protection.  James  Jackson,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  a  native  of  the 
northern  part  of  the  Emerald  Isle,  there  growing  to  manhood.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  gardening  and  found  his   chief  pleasure   among  the  plants  and 


522  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

trees,  in  the  pure,  open  air,  for  he  was  a  great  lover  of  nature.  Coming  to 
the  United  States  when  a  young  man  he  followed  his  favorite  occupation 
during  his  entire  active  life — for  a  period  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  and  for 
about  a  quarter  of  a  century  in  New  York  city  and  Yonkers.  His  home 
was  in  this  city  for  several  decades  and  here  he  was  an  active  and  earnest 
member  of  Westminster  Presbyterian  church.  In  his  political  faith  he  was 
a  zealous  Republican.  He  enjoyed  the  esteem  and  genuine  regard  of  all 
who  knew  him.     The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Sarah  Matthews. 

The  birth  of  James  H.  Jackson  took  place  in  Riverdale,  now  a  part  of 
New  York  city,  April  22,  1858.  For  some  time  he  was  a  pupil  in  Yonkers 
school  No.  6,  but  when  he  was  a  lad  of  about  fourteen  he  left  his  studies 
and  commenced  working  in  the  hat  factory  of  John  T.  Waring,  being 
employed  there  for  some  three  years.  In  1885  he  became  connected  with 
the  Alexander  Smith  Carpet  Mills,  and  was  here  occupied  in  the  weaving  of 
chenille  by  hand,  and  later  he  secured  employment  in  the  dyeing  department 
of  the  moquette  mills  for  three  years.  Since  1894  he  has  held  the  position  of 
head  of  this  important  department,  and  has  under  his  supervision  one  hun- 
dred and  ten  men.  He  is  a  thorough  and  practical  master  of  his  trade,  and 
takes  special  pride  and  interest  in  the  excellence  of  the  work  turned  out  from 
his  branch  of  the  immense  establishment,  which  is  one  of  the  largest  carpet 
manufactories  m  the  world.  In  the  matter  of  politics  Mr.  Jackson  adheres 
to  the  creed  of  his  father,  and  renders  his  allegiance  to  the  nominees  and 
principles  set  forth  by  the  Republican  party. 

The  pleasant  and  thoroughly  attractive  home  of  our  subject  and  his 
recently  wedded  bride  is  one  in  which  their  numerous  friends  delight  to 
assemble,  for  the  hospitality  of  the  host  and  hostess  is  genuine  and  free  from 
ostentation.  Mrs.  Jackson  was  Miss  Mildred  J.  Bell,  a  daughter  of  the  late 
John  Bell,  a  respected  citizen  of  Yonkers,  and  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Jack- 
son was  solemnized  on  the  19th  of  October,  1898. 


REUBEN  BARNES. 


The  honored  subject  of  this  memoir  was  for  a  long  term  of  years  one  of 
the  prominent  and  most  respected  citizens  of  Yonkers,  with  whose  upbuild- 
ing and  material  prosperity  he  was  closely  identified,  while  in  all  that  con- 
serves the  uphfting  of  men  into  the  plane  of  right  living  he  was  ever  to  be 
found  zealous  and  earnest  in  doing  good  to  all,  ever  mindful  of  the  lofty  prin- 
ciples expressed  in  the  Golden  Rule.  He  lived  to  attain  the  venerable  age  of 
eighty-one  years,  passing  to  his  reward  at  the  close  of  a  well  spent  life,  secure 
in  the  lasting  esteem  and  veneration  of  those  who  had  come  within  the  influ- 
ence of  his  pure  and  unassuming  character. 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  523- 

Reuben  Barnes  was  born  in  Preston,  near  Norwich,  Connecticut,  on  the- 
8th  of  July,  1810,. being  one  of  eleven  children.  When  twenty-two  years  of 
age  he  went  to  Mobile,  Alabama,  where  for  about  twelve  years,  as  architect. 
and  builder,  he  was  engaged  in  business  with  his  brother,  James  Barnes. 
There  also  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Miss  Mary  Hodge,  of  North  Adams, 
Massachusetts,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  1837.  In  1884  he  returned  to 
the  north,  locating  in  Poughkeepsie,  New  York.  While  there  he  erected' 
many  buildings,  among  the  more  inportant  of  which  was  the  Cannon  Street 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  he  was  an  active  and  efficient  member. 

In  the  year  1852  Mr.  Barnes  removed  to  Yonkers,  where  for  nearly  forty 
years  he  was  actively  and  prominently  concerned  in  manufacturing  and  build- 
ing. He  was  animated  by  the  stanchest  integrity  in  thought,  word  and  deed, 
and  upon  his  business  career  as  well  as  his  private  life  there  rested  no  shadow 
of  wrong.  He  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  devoted  wife  in  the 
spring  of  1881.  She  was  born  in  North  Adams,  Massachusetts,  whence  her 
parents  eventually  removed  to  Michigan,  becoming  pioneers  of  Jackson 
county,  that  state,  where  all  the  other  children  of  the  family  also  located, 
becoming  prominent  and  substantial  citizens.  Of  the  large  family  of  brothers- 
and  sisters  only  one  is  now  surviving,  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Baker,  widow  of  Dr- 
Timothy  Baker,  of  Union  City,  Michigan.  At  the  time  of  Mrs.  Barnes'  death 
three  of  her  children  were  surviving,  namely:  Martha,  the  wife  of  James  B. 
Odell,  of  Yonkers;  Hiram  Barnes,  an  architect  and  builder  of  Yonkers;  and 
Mary,  who  is  unmarried.   Of  these  Mrs.  Odfell  died  on  the  21st  of  June,  1894. 

In  the  fall  of  1882  Mr.  Barnes  consummated  a  second  marriage,  being 
then  united  to  Miss  Nancy  Sample,  of  Norwich,  Connecticut,  who  survives 
him.  In  June,  1891,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnes  visited  Norwich  and  Preston, 
Connecticut,  and  while  in  his  native  place  the  subject  of  this  memoir  was 
taken  ill  and  at  once  returned  to  his  home,  188  Buena  Vista  avenue,  Yonkers, 
where  on  July  28,  1891,  he  was  compelled  to  yield  to  the  inexorable  sum- 
mons of  death,  passing  away  in  the  fullness  of  years  and  honors.  His  mortal 
remains  were  interred  in  St.  John's  cemetery.  While  in  Mobile  Mr.  Barnes 
was  soundly  converted,  and  thereafter  lived  an  earnest,  consistent  Christian 
life.  He  was  a  man  of  deep  convictions  and  was  endowed  with  a  courage 
sufficient  to  express  them,  but  his  entire  life  was  a  beautiful  lesson  of  charity 
and  good  will  to  all.  For  many  years  he  was  an  active  and  official  member 
of  the  first  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Yonkers,  and  when  the  Central 
Methodist  church  was  organized  he  became  an  earnest  and  zealous  member 
and  supporter  of  the  same,  being  at  one  time  president  of  the  board  of  trus- 
tees. There  are  many  in  Yonkers  who  will  ever  revert  with  deep  respect 
and  affection  to  this  noble  and  kindly  pioneer,  whose  life  was  one  worthy  of 
emulation. 


524  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 


WILLIAM   OAKLEY  HOBBY. 

Mr.  Hobby  is  one  of  the  most  enterprising  young  business  men  of  West- 
chester county,  his  success  in  the  past  few  years  being  nothing  short  of 
phenomenal,  yet  accounted  for  only  by  his  excellent  methods  of  transacting 
and  managing  his  financial  affairs.  He  deserves  great  credit  for  the  pros- 
perity and  high  standing  he  has  achieved,  and  the  future  for  him  is  one  of 
much  promise,  judging  from  what  he  has  alreadyaccomplished.  In  political 
matters  he  is  liberal,  using  his  ballot  for  the  nominee  whom  he  considers  best 
qualified  to  fill  any  given  position,  and  he  has  served  as  a  city  committee- 
man. For  the  most  part,  he  uses  his  franchise  in  favor  of  the  Democratic 
platform  and  party.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Hiawatha  Lodge,  F.  & 
A.  M. ;  of  Mount  Vernon  Encampment  of  St.  John  of  Malta;  the  Ancient 
Order  of  Foresters;  the  Mount  Vernon  City  Club,  and  at  the  .present  time  is 
a  member  of  the  Central  Hose  Company.  In  all  matters  affecting  the  city 
and  community  he  takes  zealous  interest,  his  influence  being  ever  given  to 
progress  and  improvements  in  all  lines. 

W.  O.  Hobby  is  a  son  of  James  R.  and  Kate  C.  (Gent)  Hobby,  and  was 
born  in  the  city  of  New  York,  February  i8,  1867.  He  received  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  the  metropolis,  graduating  in  the  same.  He  then  entered 
the  employ  of  Acker,  Merrill  &  Condit,  of  New  York  city,  and  remained  with 
them  for  five  years,  thoroughly  learning  the  details  of  the  wholesale  liquor 
business.  Afterward  he  was  for  a  short  time  an  employe  of  Luyties  Brothers, 
of  the  same  city,  that  firm  being  in  the  same  line  of  trade. 

Seven  years  ago  Mr.  Hobby  came  to  Mount  Vernon  and  established  a 
bottling  plant  at  Boston  road  and  Third  avenue.  He  began  this  enterprise 
on  a  small  scale,  at  first  employing  but  one  wagon.  At  the  end  of  two  years 
his  business  had  doubled  and  two  wagons  were  necessary  to  deliver  his  goods, 
and  at  last  he  was  impelled  to  seek  increased  facilities  for  handling  his  large 
and  remunerative  trade.  Then,  for  a  few  years,  he  did  business  at  No.  37 
South  Fifth  avenue.  In  1898  he  was  again  obliged  to  extend  his  business 
and  increase  the  capacity  of  his  plant,  and  he  accordingly  organized  the 
Hobby  Bottling  Company,  of  which  he  is  the  president  and  general  manager. 
He  is  also  the  agent  and  collector  for  the  Henry  Zeltnor  Brewing  Company 
and  the  William  A.  Miles  Brewing  Company,  of  New  York  city. 

The  handsome  new  brick  building  which  the  Hobby  Bottling  Company 
occupies  at  Nos.  21,  23,  25  Prospect  avenue,  is  constructed  in  a  modern  man- 
ner, the  style  of  architecture  being  particularly  pleasing.-  The  front  is  of 
pressed  brick  and  the  building,  three  stories  in  height,  is  fifty  by  one  hundred 
feet  in  dimensions.  The  brick  stables  and  wagon-house  in  the  rear  of  the 
lot  are  thirty  by  one  hundred  feet  in  dimensions.     The  machinery  with  which 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  525' 

the  works  are  fitted  is  of  the  most  approved  modern  style,  every  possible 
device  for  convenience  and  rapidity  of  working,  etc.,  being  found  here. 
Everything  that  can  possibly  be  done  by  machinery  is  done,  and  the  high 
grade  of  the  goods  turned  out  here  is  all  the  proof  necessary  of  the  merits  of 
the  system  in  use.  Only  the  best  class  of  hotels  and  families  are  catered  to, 
and  only  the  finest  and  most  expensive  materials  are  utilized  in  the  manu- 
facture of  the  various  "soft"  drinks  and  other  styles  of  liquor  bottled  here. 
Tanglewylde  spring  water,  positively  pure  and  sweet,  and  Saratoga  spring 
gases  (in  use  in  carbonated  waters)  are  used  exclusively,  and  pure  fruit  syrups 
and  extracts  are  manufactured  in  the  plant,  by  cold  process,  in  porcelain 
tanks.  Two  carbonaters,  one  for  high,  and  one  for  low  pressure,  are  used, 
thus  keeping  the  waters  charged  absolutely  free  from  all  vitreous  and  marble 
dust.  From  the  time  when  the  pure  spring  water  enters  the  tanks  until  the 
sparkling  beverage  is  corked  and  labeled  in  the  special  bottles  of  the  company 
(corked  with  a  specially  fine  "Crown"  cork),  the  entire  process  is  carried  on. 
automatically.  This  finely-equipped  plant  cost  upwards  of  forty-seven  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  in  1897  one  hundred  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  business 
was  transacted  by  the  company.  In  the  manufacture,  sale  and  delivery  of 
the^beer,  ale  and  lager,  carbonated  waters,  "soft"  drinks,  etc.,  forty  men 
are  afforded  employment  and  fifteen  wagons  are  kept  running  continuously. 
The  firm  has  branch  agencies  at  Mamaroneck  and  White  Plains.  All  things 
considered,  the  works  here  are  as  complete  as  any  to  be  found  in  New  York, 
city  and  they  are  far  superior  to  many  of  the  bottling  establishments  in  vari- 
ous other  large  cities.  The  Hobby  Bottling  Company  contemplate  enlarg- 
ing their  plant  and  buildings  by  the  addition  of  another  floor  to  the  main 
building  in  the  spring  of  1899,  doubling  its  capacity. 

William  Oakley  Hobby  was  united  in  marriage,  July  14,  1887,  to  Miss 
Kate  Agnes  Rehil,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Rose  Rehil,  and  to  this  union 
have  been  born  three  children,  viz. :     Kate,  William  and  Charles. 


FRANCIS  J.   HACKETT. 


For  the  past  ten  years  Francis  James  Hackett  has  been  engaged  in  bus- 
iness in  Yonkers,  Westchester  county,  and  has  won  an  enviable  reputation 
for  square  dealing,  thoroughness  and  general  reliability.  He  is  quite  a  factor 
in  local  Democratic  politics,  and  is  now  representing  the  seventh  ward,  as 
an  alderman.  This  ward  is  the  largest  one  in  the  place,  comprising,  as  it 
does,  about  one-third  of  the  territory  covered  by  the  city,  and  its  importance^ 
therefore,  is  obvious.  Mr.  Hackett  was  elected  to  this  office  in  1897,  and 
has  been  in  thorough  sympathy  with  all  movements  of  public  improvement, 
judicious  expenditure  of  the  people's  funds,  and  progress  along  all  lines.   The- 


.526  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

same  good  judgment  which  he  exercises  in  the  management  of  his  own  busi- 
ness affairs  he  brings  to  bear  in  his  public  office,  and  thus  his  friends  and  the 
citizens  in  general  place  great  confidence  in  his  ability  and  wisdom.  Often 
he  has  been  delegated  to  attend  the  various  conventions  of  his  party,  and  for 
years  he  has  been  aggressive  in  the  support  of  the  banners  of  the  Democracy. 
He  belongs  to  the  Seventh  Ward  Democratic  Club  and  is  connected  with  the 
city  fire  department.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  Improved  Order  of 
Red  Men  and  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

Francis  J.  Hackett  is  one  of  the  eight  children  of  Charles  and  Elizabeth 
(Fitzpatrick)  Hackett,  five  of  the  number  being  sons.  He  was  born  Novem- 
ber 23,  1865,  in  the  city  of  New  York  and  there  acquired  his  education  in 
the  public  and  parochial  schools.  When  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age  he 
left  his  studies  and  entered  upon  the  more  serious  business  of  life.  His  father 
was  a  stone-cutter  by  trade,  and  the  son  concluded  to  follow  the  same  line 
of  business.  For  five  years  he  worked  as  a  journeyman,  and  at  the  end  of 
that  time,  believing  that  he  was  master  of  the  trade,  he  embarked  in  the 
same  line  of  work  upon  his  own  account,  at  his  present  location  on  Midland 
avenue,  in  the  seventh  ward.  He  quarries  and  deals  in  all  kinds  of  building 
stone  and  does  a  very  extensive  business,  employing  as  many  as  sixty-five 
men  at  one  time,  during  busy  seasons.  By  well  directed  energy  and  enter- 
prise he  has  succeeded  in  building  up  an  extensive  trade,  and  all  with  whom 
he  has  had  dealings  speak  in  terms  of  praise  of  the  manner  in  which  he  fulfils 
contracts  and  adheres  .to  the  letter  thereof.  He  is  a  member  of  St.  Joseph's 
Roman  Catholic  church  and  is  liberal  in  his  benevolences  and  contribu- 
tions to  the  worthy  poor.  Kindly  by  nature,  and  having  himself  worked  his 
own  way  upward,  he  is  ever  ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  those  less  fortu- 
nate than  himself. 

CHARLES    HENRY   DWORNICZAK. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  better  known  at  Croton,  New  York,  where 
he  is  engaged  in  the  drug  business,  by  the  name  of  Cfiarles  Henry,  than  he  is 
by  his  full  name.  He  is  a  German  by  birth,  early  association  and  education, 
but  has  been  a  resident  of  this  country  since  1862  and  is  thoroughly  identified 
with  America  and  her  interests. 

He  was  born  in  Hamburg,  Germany,  in  1841,  and  in  his  native  land  had 
the  advantage  of  college  training,  his  education  being  directed  toward  the 
medical  profession.  He  did  not,  however,  enter  the  practice  of  that  profes- 
sion. When  he  started  out  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world  it  was  as  a 
bookkeeper  in  a  wholesale  house  m  Hamburg,  Germany,  the  business  being 
an  American  one.  In  1862,  owing  to  a  lull  in  business  in  Germany,  he  came 
to  America,    and  the  next  three  years  he  traveled  throughout  the  United 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  527 

States,  looking  for  a  business  opening,  from  time  to  time  accepting  various 
forms  of  employment.  Finally,  in  1866,  he  located  in  Peekskill,  New  York, 
and  there  married  Miss  Matilda  Biettinger,  a  New  Jersey  lady. 

Mr.  Henry  continued  to  reside  in  Peekskill  for  two  years.  In  1868  he 
Avent  to  Plank's  Point  and  opened  a  barber  shop,  which  he  conducted  for  two 
years,  but  owing  to  ill  health  he  found  a  change  of  location  was  necessary, 
and  his  next  move  was  to  Croton,  where  he  has  since  resided.  Here  he  found 
opportunity  to  bring  into  action  his  medical  education.  He  opened  a  drug 
•store,  soon  built  up  a  good  business,  and  has  been  successfully  engaged  in 
this  line  of  trade  ever  since.  On  turning  his  attention  to  the  drug  business, 
he  naturally  became  interested  in  the  drug  societies  throughout  the  county 
and  state.  For  two  years  he  was  president  of  the  County  Pharmacy  Society 
and  he  has  long  been  active  in  pharmacy,  his  name  being  No.  68  on  the  regis- 
ter of  the  State  Board  of  Pharmacy.  He  has  a  fine  library,  including  a  wide 
range  of  books  on  scientific  subjects,  principally  psychology,  in  which  he 
takes  special  interest,  having  been  a  great  student  from  his  boyhood  up  to  the 
present  time.  He  has  written  several  articles  on  scientific  subjects,  and  strives 
to  enlighten  rather  than  follow.  As  a  citizen,  he  is  public-spirited  and  pro- 
gressive, ever  looking  to  the  best  interests  of  his  town,  and  at  this  writing 
holds  the  office  of  treasurer  of  Croton.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
iire  department  of  the  village.  He  is  a  member  of  the  United  Friends,  and 
politically  is  a  Democrat. 

ELBERT  S.  N.  WILLSON. 

Mr.  Willson  is  serving  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  North  Salem,  a  posi- 
tion which  he  has  filled  for  twelve  years,  with  credit  to  himself  and  satisfac- 
tion to  his  constituents.  He  is  thoroughly  impartial  in  meting  out  justice, 
his  opinions  being  unbiased  by  either  fear  or  favor,  and  his  fidelity  to  the 
trust  reposed  in  him  is  above  question.  He  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  lead- 
ing and  highly  respected  citizens  of  North  Salem  township,  and  it  is,  there- 
fore, consistent  that  he  be  represented  in  a  work  whose  province  is  the 
protrayal  of  the  lives  of  the  prominent  men  of  Westchester  county. 

Mr.  Willson  is  a  native  of  Somers  township,  and  is  the  only  child  of 
Nehemiah  and  Eliza  Ann  (Smith)  Willson.  The  father  was  born  in  Lewis- 
.borough  township,  this  county,  December  14,  1806,  and  was  a  son  of  Jus- 
tice and  Phoebe  (Searles)  Willson,  farming  people.  The  birth  of  the 
grandfather  is  supposed  to  have  occurred  on  Long  Island,  New  York.  His 
children,  all  of  whom  save  one  are  deceased,  were:  Thomas,  who  was  a 
farmer  of  Wisconsin;  Belinda,  who  became  the  wife  of  Rev.  George  Coles; 
John,  a  farmer,  who  died  in  Massachusetts;  Nancy,  who  was  the  wife  of 
William  Rogers,  a  silver  manufacturer  of  Hartford,  Connecticut;  Nehemiah, 


528  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

the  father  of  our  Subject;  and  Electa,  who  is  the  only  one  living,  is  unmar- 
ried and  resides  in  Hartford.  The  children  born  to  Rev.  George  Coles  and 
wife  were  as  follows:  Mary  Frances,  who  married  Rev.  Erastus  O.  Haven, 
who  was  one  of  the  leading  educators  of  this  country  and  was  a  bishop  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  for  many  years  prior  to  his  death;  Elizabeth, 
who  married  Rev.  George  W.  Woodruff,  D.  D.,  a  Methodist  Episcopal  min- 
ister belonging  to  the  Eastern  conference  of  New  York;  George  W.  J.,  who 
served  through  the  civil  war  and  is  now  clerking  in  New  York  city;  and 
James  S.,  who  also  was  one  of  the  boys  in  blue,  died  in  the  service.  In 
connection  with  farming  Nehemiah  Willson,  our  subject's  father,  conducted 
a  store  in  North  Salem  and  for  some  time  he  served  as  supervisor  of  that 
place.  Politically  he  was  first  a  Whig  and  later  a  Republican.  He  died  in 
1889,  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  1884,  honored  and  respected  by  all  who 
knew  them. 

Elbert  S.  N.  Willson  has  always  made  his  home  upon  his  present  farm 
of  thirty  acres,  and  to  general  farming  has  devoted  much  of  his  time.  His 
education  was  acquired  in  the  North  Salem  Academy.  He  now  gives  special 
attention  to  the  raising  of  chickens,  having  upon  his  place  some  very  fine 
specimens  of  Buff  Leghorns  and  Plymouth  Rocks,  and  has  won  several 
premiums  at  the  poultry  fairs  in  New  York.  He  is  one  of  the  leaders  of  the 
Republican  party  in  his  township,  and  is  quite  influential  and  prominent  in 
public  affairs,  having  since  1886  most  acceptably  filled  the  offices  of  assessor 
and  justice  of  the  peace. 

On  the  19th  of  October,  1859,  Mr.  Willson  wedded  Miss  Mary  J.  Todd, 
who  was  born  in  Lewisborough  township  November  24,  1836,  a  daughter  of 
Abraham  and  Maria  (Wescott)  Todd.  Three  daughters  bless  this  union: 
Eliza  Ann,  wife  of  Theodore  Knapp,  a  farmer  of  Lewisborough  township,  by 
whom  she  had  three  children, — Lillian,  Arthur  and  Ernest;  Florence  W.r 
wife  of  Gilbert  B.  Burr,  a  farmer  of  Ridgefield,  Connecticut;  and  Loretta  B., 
wife  of  Gilbert  M.  Anderson,  a  clerk  in  New  York  city,  by  whom  she  has  one 
child,  Gilbert  M.,  Jr.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Willson  and  their  children  are  earnest 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  with  which  he  is  officially  con- 
nected, and  the  family  are  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who  know  them. 


JOHN  O.   MERRITT. 

Mr.  Merritt,  who  is  a  prominent  contractor  and  builder  at  Port  Chester, 
was  born  December  12,  1837,  at  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  which  place,  by 
the  way,  is  but  three  miles  from  Port  Chester,  New  York.  Of  this  place  also 
his  father,  William  Merritt,  was  a  native,  and  he  also  was  a  mason,  contractor 
and  builder,  his  operations  in  these  lines  being  very  extensive.      He  died  at 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  529 

the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six  years.  During  the  war  of  1812  he  enlisted 
for  service  in  the  army,  but  was  not  called  into  action.  In  his  politics  he 
was  a  Democrat,  and  in  religion  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church.  Jesse 
Merritt,  the  father  of  the  last  mentioned,  was  also  a  native  of  Greenwich, 
where  he  passed  all  his  life,  also  as  a  mason  and  contractor,  and  he  also  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  His  father  was  from  England,  coming  with 
two  brothers  and  settling  upon  a  farm  at  Greenwich,  which  place  is  still  in 
the  possession  of  the  family. 

William  Merritt,  the  father  of  John  O.,  married  Miss  Jane  Ann  Han- 
cock, of  New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  William  Hancock,  who  was  a  native 
of  England  and  a  sea  captain.  He  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  British  during 
the  war  of  18 12  and  held  in  captivity  for  three  years.  Mrs.  Jane  Ann  Mer- 
ritt died  when  about  sixty  years  of  age,  a  zealous  and  exemplary  Methodist. 

Mr.  John  O.  Merritt  remained  on  the  farm  of  his  father  until  twenty-five 
years  of  age,  learning  meanwhile  the  mason's  trade,  of  his  father  and  an  older 
brother.  At  that  time  he  came  to  Port  Chester,  where  he  has  ever  since 
resided  and  carried  on  his  trade.  After  coming  here  he  followed  his  trade  as 
a  journeyman  for  a  short  time  and  then  engaged  in  contracting  for  and  build- 
ing sewers,  walls  and  large  factories, — among  the  latter  being  the  Glenville 
Woolen  Mills,  the  New  Rochelle  school-house,  etc.  His  operations  at  pres- 
ent comprise  the  laying  of  water  pipes,  sewers,  etc.,  and  road  building.  He 
now  has  a  thirty-thousand-dollar  contract  for  laying  the  track  of  the  trolley 
street-car  line  at  Port  Chester.  Mr.  Merritt  has  always  been  an  enterprising 
and  successful  man  in  business.  In  politics  he  has  ever  been  an  influential 
and  active  Democrat;  was  village  trustee  three  terms,  and  for  seven  years 
was  a  member  of  the  fire  department. 

He  was  united  in  matrimony  with  Miss  Eliza  J.  Parker,  of  Harrison 
township,  this  county,  and  they  have  two  children, — Freeman,  a  contractor 
at  East  Chester,  New  York;  and  Edith,  the  wife  of  Henry  Buckout,  of  White 
Plains,  this  county. 

WILLIAM  H.  AND  GEORGE  NELSON. 

The  Nelson  Brothers,  who  are  dairy  farmers  of  Somers  township,  are 
two  of  the  most  energetic  and  enterprising  business  men  of  Westchester 
county.  They  embarked  in  the  dairy  busi-ness  about  1878,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Nelson  Brothers,  but  business  is  now  conducted  under  the  name  of 
W.  H.  Nelson.  On  starting  out  they  had  only  twenty-five  cows,  but  as  their 
trade  gradually  grew  they  purchased  more,  and  now  have  from  five  to  six 
hundred  head.  They  have  established  a  large  milk  depot  at  No.  210  West 
Thirty-fifth  street,  New  York  city,  where  they  dispose  of  most  of  their  prod- 
uct in  a  wholesale  business.  Their  large  farm  comprises  about  twenty-five 
34 


530  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

hundred  acres  of  valuable  land,  and  in  connection  with  its  operation  they  have 
been  extensively  engaged  in  raising  fine  horses,  and  have  some  excellent 
specimens  of  the  noble  steed  upon  their  place.  Both  brothers  are  natural 
mechanics,  and  upon  their  farm  they  have  shops  equipped  for  making  all 
necessary  repairs  on  machinery,  etc.  They  also  manufacture  their  own 
wagons  and  have  turned  out  some  fine  carriages  from  their  factory.  They 
devote  about  three  hundred  acres  to  the  raising  of  corn,  which  large  area 
implies  that  the  product  is  the  largest  amount  of  that  cereal  raised  on  any 
farm  in  the  county.  They  started  at  the  very  bottom  of  the  ladder  finan- 
cially, but  by  their  combined  efforts,  industry  and  determination  to  succeed, 
they  have  built  up  a  most  extensive  and  profitable  business,  now  furnishing 
efnployment  to  about  fifty  men  all  the  year  around. 

The  parents  of  these  gentlemen  were  Henry  G.  and  Prudy  K.  (Sarles) 
Nelson.  The  father  died  in  i860,  at  the  age  of  forty-seven  years,  but  the 
mother  is  still  hale  and  hearty,  at  the  age  of  eighty.  Our  subjects  were  their 
only  children,  William  being  born  in  1846,  and  George  in  1850.  Both  were 
principally  educated  in  the  public  schools,  though  they  pursued  a  business 
and  collegiate  course  for  a  short  time.  They  are  wide-awake,  energetic  men 
of  known  reliability,  and  occupy  an  enviable  position  in  the  business  world 
of  this  part  of  the  country.  Both  vote  the  Democratic  ticket,  but  George 
takes  a  more  active  part  in  political  affairs  than  his  brother.  He  was  mar- 
ried February  17,  1898,  to  Miss  Katie  L. ,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Emma 
Lounsbury,  and  they  reside  on  the  old  Nelson  homestead,  two  miles  west  of 
Katonah. 

GEORGE  E.   CARRIGAN. 

The  efficient  chief  of  police  of  Sing  Sing.  New  York,  is  a  native  of  West- 
chester county,  born  April  14,  1862,  and  is  a  son  of  James  Edward  and  Mary 
Elizabeth  (Anderson)  Carrigan.  The  father  also  was  born  in  this  county,  in 
1822,  and  was  here  reared  to  manhood.  Almost  his  entire  life  was  passed 
upon  the  water,  and  at  the  early  age  of  fourteen  years  he  was  given  command 
of  the  sloop  Ben  Brandreth,  plying  between  Croton  and  New  York  city.  He 
was  later  accredited  with  being  one  of  the  best  and  most  successful  navigators 
that  plied  the  Hudson  river,  and  was  the  owner  of  several  different  vessels, 
including  the  Lucy  Hopkins,  one  of  the  fleetest  sloops  that  ever  sailed  that 
stream.  She  was  about  one  hundred  tons  burden.  For  the  long  period  of 
forty-eight  years  Captain  Carrigan  had  command  of  different  vessels,  and 
after  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party  he  was  one  of  its  stanch  sup- 
porters. His  father  was  William  Carrigan,  also  a  native  of  Westchester 
county  and  a  cooper  by  trade.  The  Captain  is  now  deceased,  but  his  wife, 
who   was  a  native  of  Putnam  county.  New  York,  is  still  living;  and  of  the 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  531 

twelve  children  born  to  them,  seven  survive:  William  H.,  a  resident  of 
Yonkers,  New  York;  Elnora,  wife  of  Charles  Acley,  of  Croton;  Marian,  wife 
of  Edward  Fillmore,  of  Sing  Sing;  Mary  E. ,  wife  of  James  D.  Edwards,  of 
Sing  Sing;  James  Edward,  a  steamboat  pilot  and  a  resident  of  New  York 
city;  George  E.,  our  subject;  and  Clarissa  D.,  wife  of  Joseph  Poria,  of 
Yonkers. 

George  E.  Carrigan  was  reared  in  Croton,  New  York,  and  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  that  place.  When  his  school  days  were  over  he 
engaged  in  boating  on  the  Hudson,  and  on  attaining  his  majority  was  given 
command  of  the  schooner  George  A.  Brandreth.  Subsequently  he  was  cap- 
tain of  another  schooner  and  continued  to  follow  the  water  for  ten  years. 
He  then  accepted  the  positions  of  deputy  sheriff  and  constable,  which  offices 
he  held  for  two  years,  discharging  his  official  duties  in  a  most  commendable 
manner.  Prior  to  accepting  his  present  position,  however,  he  engaged  in 
the  roofing  business  throughout  the  state  for  five  years,  making  his  head- 
quarters first  at  Yonkers  and  later  at  Sing  Sing.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
was  appointed  chief  of  police  in  the  latter  city,  a  position  he  has  since 
retained,  discharging  his  various  duties  with  promptness  and  fidelity.  He  is 
emphatically  a  man  of  enterprise,  positive  character,  indomitable  energy, 
strict  integrity  and  liberal  views,  and  is  thoroughly  interested  in  all  that  con- 
serves the  prosperity  of  his  village  and  county. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Carrigan  is  an  ardent  Republican,  and 
socially  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
being  identified  with  Sunnyside  Lodge,  No.  289,  of  which  he  is  past  grand, 
and  also  with  Columbian  Encampment.  He  is  also  president  of  the  Sunny- 
side  Association.  In  1885  he  was  married,  at  Yonkers,  to  Miss  Isabella 
Bogart,  a  daughter  of  Addison  and  Mary  Bogart,  and  to  them  have  been  born 
two  children:     William  H.  and  Florence  B. 


PURDY  L.  HITCHCOCK,   M.  D. 

Dr.  Purdy  Leander  Hitchcock  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  leading  prac- 
titioners in  Westchester  county.  New  York,  where  he  has  been  engaged  in 
practice  since  1882,  having  graduated  the  previous  year  at  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons,  of  New  York  city. 

Dr.  Hitchcock  was  born  in  Westchester  county.  New  York,  September 
23,  1850,  and  is  a  son  of  David  Hitchcock,  a  native  of  Putnam  county.  New 
York,  descended  from  English  ancestors  who  were  among  the  early  settlers 
of  this  country.  David  Hitchcock  is  now  seventy-seven  years  of  age,  strong 
and  robust.  By  trade  he  is  a  carpenter,  and  for  a  number  of  years  he  was 
engaged  in  building. 


532  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

Purdy  L.  Hitchcock  received  a  good  education  in  the  schools  of  his  nat- 
ive county  and  then  commenced  a  course  of  study  under  the  direction  of  Dr. 
Charles  Lee,  of  Purdy,  by  whom,  perhaps,,  more  than  any  other  individual 
was  his  life  shaped.  After  graduating,  in  1881,  he  took  up  hospital  practice 
for  a  time  and  in  1882  settled  in  Croton  Falls,  where  he  has  since  remained. 
Subsequent  to  his  regular  professional  study  he  took  a  post-graduate  course 
at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Alumni 
Association  of  that  institution.  He  has  met  with  gratifying  success  and  has 
established  a  reputation  as  a  skilled  and  careful  practitioner.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Westchester  County  Medical  Society,  and  fraternally  is  identified  with 
the  Royal  Arcanum.  From  1889  to  1892  he  was  surgeon  for  the  Croton 
Magnetic  Iron  Mines. 

November  29,  1884,  the  Doctor  married  Miss  A.  Butcher,  a  woman  of 
refinement  and  culture,  daughter  of  John  Butcher,  deceased.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Hitchcock  have  one  child,  Grace  A. 

Dr.  Hitchcock  takes  an  active  and  commendable  interest  in  all  the 
affairs  of  his  town,  and  as  an  enterprising  and  public-spirifed  citizen  is  appre- 
ciated by  his  fellow  citizens.  He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  education,  is 
health  officer,  and  occupied  several  other  positions  of  honor  and  trust.  While 
his  life  is  a  busy  one,  he  yet  finds  time  to  enjoy  the  society  of  a  large  circle  of 
friends,  extending  and  receiving  numerous  hospitalities. 


JAMES  GIBSON,  Sr. 


This  citizen  of  White  Plains,  New  York,  has  for  a  number  of  years  been 
closely  identified  with  the  interests  of  Westchester  county.  During  his  res- 
idence here  he  has  been  prospered  financially  and  ranks  now  not  only  as  one 
of  the  leading  farmers  of  his  locality  but  also  as  one  of  its  capitalists.  His 
record  is  that  of  a  self-made  man,  and  briefly  is  as  follows: 

James  Gibson,  Sr. ,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Edinburg,  Scotland,  in  the 
year  181 3,  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  place,  and 
remained  there  until  his  twentieth  year.  He  is  next  to  the  youngest  of  five 
children,  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  composing  his  father's  family,  and 
and  is  the  only  one  of  that  number  now  living.  James  Gibson,  his  father, 
was  a  carpenter  and  builder,  following  that  business  throughout  his  hfe.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  was  before  marriage  Miss  Margaret  Wright.  Both 
passed  their  lives  in   Scotland. 

In  his  youth  the  subject  of  our  sketch  learned  the  baker's  trade,  serving 
an  apprenticeship  of  four  years,  and  shortly  after  completing  his  term  of  serv- 
ice sailed  for  America,  landing  at  New  York  city,  May  22,  1834,  in  the  Isabella 
Irvine,  after  a  long  and  tedious  voyage,  covering  a  period  of  ten  weeks.      In 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  583 

New  York  he  secured  work  at  his  trade,  saved  his  earnings  and  was  soon  able 
to  start  up  an  establishment  of  his  own,  which  he  did,  and  there  he  con- 
ducted a  successful  business  until  1858,  wheh  he  sold  out  and  came  to  White 
Plains.  Here  he  purchased  a  farm  of  seventy  acres,  located  two  miles  and  a 
half  southeast  of  the  town,  and  on  it  has  since  carried  on  general  farming,  his 
land  being  among  the  best  cutivated  and  most  desirable  in  the  locality.  From 
time  to  time  he  has  made  valuable  investments  and  is  to-day  the  owner  of 
much  valuable  real  estate.  He  built  the  Auditorium  in  White  Plains,  a 
fine  structure  of  brick  and  stone,  the  first  floor  used  for  stores,  the  second 
occupied  by  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  and  the  opera-house. 
Also  he  owns  a  good  business  block  on  the  corner  of  Lexington  and  Railroad 
avenues,  which  he  rents. 

Mr.  Gibson  is  a  man  who  has  always  kept  himself  posted  on  the  topics 
of  the  day,  and  thinks  for  himself.  In  national  and  state  matters  he  gives 
his  support  to  the  Republican  party,  but  in  local  affairs  he  is  somewhat  inde- 
pendent, voting  for  the  man  he  believes  best  suited  for  the  office  rather  than 
adhering  strictly  to  party  lines. 

From  1838  to  1858  Mr.  Gibson  was  a  member  of  the  Scottish  Presby- 
terian church  in  New  York  city,  and  since  coming  to  White  Plains  has  been 
identified  with  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  this  place,  to  which  his  fam- 
ily also  belong  and  in  which  he  has  served  for  a  number  of  years  as  a  trus- 
tee. He  is  the  oldest  trustee  now  serving  in  the  First  Presbyterian  church 
at  White  Plains.  He  is  also  school  trustee  of  district  No.  2,  having  held 
that  office  since  1862,  and  he  has  also  been  road  commissioner. 

In  1838  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ellen  Jackson,  who  was  a 
companion  contributing  to  the  happiness  of  his  life  for  almost  forty-four 
years,  departing  from  the  scenes  of  this  world  May  15,  1882.  He  has  had 
three  sons  and  two  daughters,  namely:  John,  James,  Jr.,  Mary  Ann,  Mar- 
garet and  Thomas.  John  died  March  14,  i8g6;  James,  Jr.,  is  married  and 
a  resident  of  New  Rochelle.  The  daughters  are  unmarried  and  reside  with 
their  father.     Thomas  is  married  and  resides  at  the  parental  homestead. 


JOHN  W.   TRUESDELL. 

One  of  the  leading  business  men  and  agriculturists  of  Westchestfer  county 
is  John  W.  Truesdell,  who  has  been  a  resident  here  for  eight  years  only,  but 
who  is  well  and  favorably  known  throughout  this  section.  He  is  the  super- 
intendent of  the  noted  Greene  estate,  which  comprises  some  seven  hundred 
acres  of  fine,  arable  farm  land, — one  of  the  best  and  most  valuable  home- 
steads in  the  state.  With  wide  experience  and  general  ability,  Mr.  Truesdell 
is  just  the  man  for  the  responsible  position  he  so  ably  fills,  and  his  efforts 


534  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

have  materially  increased  the  value  of  the  property  and  the  revenue  there- 
from. 

One  of  the  native  sons  of  the  Empire  state,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  born  December  3,  1854,  in  Wyoming  county,  and  passed  his  boy- 
hood in  that  portion  of  New  York.  He  is  the  son  of  E.  G.  and  Lucy 
(Popple)  Truesdell,  respected  and  honored  citizens  of  Wyoming  county. 
After  leaving  the  common  schools  J.  W.  Truesdell  entered  Warsaw  Acad- 
emy, and  there  pursued  the  study  of  the  higher  branches  of  knowledge. 
When  he  attained  his  majority  he  left  home  and  went  to  Orange  county. 
New  York,  where  for  many  years  he  was  successfully  occupied  in  farming 
and  kindred  pursuits.  In  1890  he  was  engaged  to  act  as  manager  or 
superintendent  of  the  Greene  property  in  Westchester  county,  and  he  has 
since  devoted  his  energies  to  the  cultivation  and  improvement  of  the  place. 
He  has  always  given  much  attention  to  the  raising  of  fine  horses,  and  he 
is  now  interested  specially  in  this  direction,  as  a  ready  market  is  to  be 
found  for  good  animals  in  the  neighboring  cities. 

In  all  his  views  and  methods  Mr.  Truesdell  is  liberal  and  broad-minded, 
being  zealous  in  the  support  of  all  measures  which  accrue  to  the  welfare  of 
the  general  public,  and  is  active  in  local  affairs  as  well.  In  his  political 
faith  he  is  an  earnest  Republican,  but  he  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for 
public  position,  as  he  finds  that  his  time  is  fully  occupied  in  properly 
attending  to  his  business  affairs. 

January  27,  1875,  Mr.  Truesdell  married  Miss  Mary  E.  Mills,  a  daughter 
of  A.  J.  Mills,  of  Orange  county,  New  York.  The  only  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Truesdell  is  Charlotte  M.,  now  the  wife  of  Robert  Hoyt,  of  Katonah,  West- 
chester county. 

OSCAR  SMITH. 

This  prominent  and  representative  citizen  of  New  Castle  township,  West- 
chester county,  now.  filling  the  office  of  assessor,  was  born  in  Yorktown  town- 
ship on  the  1 2th  of  March,  183 1,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  Smith,  whose  birth 
occurred  August  15,  1797,  on  the  old  homestead  where  our  subject  now  re- 
sides. The  grandfather,  William  Smith,  was  a  native  of  Holland,  and  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Vredenburg.  They  settled  in  this  country  prior  to  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  and  both  died  in  York  township  at  the  ages  of  ninety  and  eighty- 
six  years,  respectively.  They  were  most  estimable  people,  and  were  identified 
with  the  Society  of  Friends.  In  their  family  were  only  two  children: 
Samuel,  and  Rebecca,  wife  of  John  Brown. 

Samuel  Smith  grew  to  manhood  in  Yorktown  township,  throughout  life 
devoted  his  time  and  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  was  a  stalwart 
supporter  of  the   Republican  party.      He  married  Miss  Jemimah  Young,   a 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  535 

daughter  of  James  and (Baldwin)  Young,  and  of  the  ten  children  born 

of  this  union  nine  reached  man  and  womanhood,  and  four  are  still  living, 
namely:  Eliza,  wife  of  B.  Secoy;  John  B.,  a  resident  of  Yorktown  town- 
ship; Oscar,  our  subject;  and  Eben,  of  Yorktown  township.  Those  deceased 
are:  Phoebe  J.;  Willet  R. ;  William,  and  James,  who  died  in  Tompkins 
county,  New  York,  and  was  the  father  of  two  sons — William  and  Eugene — 
who  served  in  the  Civil  war. 

Oscar  Smith  was  reared  on  the  home  farm,  and  pursued  his  studies  in 
the  neighboring  schools.  Going  to  Wisconsin  in  1856,  he  taught  school  there 
for  one  season,  and  on  his  return  to  Westchester  county  made  his  home  for 
two  years  in  Bedford.  In  1865  he  located  on  the  old  homestead  of  his  grand- 
father, which  is  pleasantly  located  only  a  half-mile  from  the  Millwood  station, 
and  is  supplied  with  water  from  one  of  the  best  springs  in  the  county.  Here 
he  has  a  nice  home,  and  is  surrounded  by  all  that  goes  to  make  life  worth  the 
living.  In  his  farming  operations  he  has  met  with  excellent  success,  and  is 
to-day  one  of  the  well-to-do  and  substantial  citizens  of  his  community. 

On  the  8th  of  June,  1861,  Mr.  Smith  married  Miss  Sarah  J.  Sherwood, 
a  daughter  of  Absalom  and  Harriet  (Brown)  Sherwood,  of  Bedford,  in  whose 
family  were  six  children,  three  still  living:  Frances,  wife  of  William  Barnes; 
Sarah  J. ;  and  Mary  E.,  a  music  teacher  of  New  York  city.  Those  deceased 
are  Charles  W. ,  George  E.  and  William  H.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  four 
children,  namely:  Ella  V.,  wife  of  Henry  N.  Merritt,  of  Yonkers,  New  York, 
by  whom  she  had  two  children, — Maud  and  Clarence;  George  E. ,  who  mar- 
ried Grace  Brown,  and  is  a  floor-walker  in  Simpson  &  Crawford's  store  of  New 
York  city;  Irvin  E. ,  who  is  employed  by  the  Metropolitan  Traction  Company 
in  New  York;  and  Minnie  P.,  wife  of  H.  E.  Freeland,  a  railroad  conductor, 
by  whom  she  had  three  children, — Helen  M.,  Edna  May  and  Grace. 

During  his  business  career  Mr.  Smith  worked  for  his  uncle,  E.  S.  Young, 
conducting  a  stage  line  in  the  city  for  a  time,  and  also  successfully  followed 
teaching.  He  has  ever  taken  an  active  interest  in  educational  affairs,  and  for 
many  years  has  efficiently  served  as  a  school  trustee.  He  holds  a  member- 
ship in  the  Friends  church,  while  his  wife  is  a  Methodist.  Both  are  earnest, 
Christian  people,  and  have  the  respect  and  esteem  of  the  entire  community 
in  which  they  make  their  home. 


JUDGE  THOMAS  M.   PARKER. 

It  is  with  pleasure  that  we  come  now  to  record  in  this  volume  a  refer- 
ence to  the  principal  landmarks  in  the  life  of  the  gentleman  whose  name 
forms  the  caption  of  this  article,  speaking' first  of  his  ancestry. 

His  father,  Edward  Parker,  was  born  in  county  Dublin,  Ireland,  where 


536  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

he  grew  up  and  learned  his  trade  as  blacksmith.  When  he  had  attained  the 
age  of  twenty-two  years  he  emigrated  to  the  land  of  greater  opportunity, 
arriving  at  New  York  city,  where  he  was  employed  at  his  trade  as  a  journey- 
man. In  1847  he  came  to  Port  Chester  and  continued  at  his  trade  for  ten 
years,  when  he  purchased  the  shop  now  owned  by  his  son.  Judge  Parker,  and 
plied  his  laborious  vocation  here  as  long  as  he  lived,  his  death  taking  place 
April  4,  1897,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years  and  six  months.  Politically  he 
was  a  Democrat,  and  in  public  office  he  was  village  trustee  two  terms  and 
for  a  time  overseer  of  the  poor.  In  religion  he  was  a  Catholic.  For  his 
wife  he  married  Miss  Ellen  Mulvaney,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  was  brought 
to  America  when  but  two  years  of  age;  and  she  is  still  living,  aged  fifty-eight 
years.  She  also  is  a  communicant  of  the  Catholic  church.  Of  her  sixteen 
children  nine  are  still  living. 

Judge  Parker,  of  whom  we  more  particularly  write,  was  born  May  27, 
1864,  in  Port  Chester,  educated  in  the  public  and  Catholic  schools,  and  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  years  began  to  learn  the  blacksmith's  trade  of  his  father, 
and  he  continued  in  that  heavy  work  for  fifteen  years;  and  since  that  time 
he  has  managed  the  shop  that  his  father  owned. 

Politically,  he  is  an  active  Democrat.  He  has  served  one  term  as  village 
treasurer,  which  office  he  resigned  when  he  was  appointed  a  justice  of  the 
peace  to  fill  an  unexpired  term,  and  after  the  expiration  of  that  period  he 
was  elected  for  a  full  term.      He  is  a  good   man-for  the  place. 

In  matrimony  he  was  united  with  Miss  Maggie  Stanley,  of  this  place, 
and  they  have  two  daughters,  named  Helen  and  Jane  Elizabeth. 


ABRAHAM  A.  COLES. 


The  family  name  of  this  gentleman  has  figured  conspicuously  on  the 
pages  of  the  history  of  the  Empire  state  through  many  generations,  repre- 
sentatives of  the  family  taking  an  active  part  in  many  of  the  leading  events 
which  form  an  integral  part  of  the  annals  of  New  York.  Patriotism,  honor 
and  enterprise  have  ever  been  among  their  marked  characteristics  since  the 
time  when  Robert  Coles,  a  native  of  England,  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  estab- 
lish a  home  in  the  New  World.  This  was  in  1641,  and  he  cast  his  lot  with 
the  early  colonists  of  the  land  which  gave  promise  of  liberty  and  freedom  of 
conscience  and  the  exercise  of  the  independent  rights  of  the  individual. 
He  was  accompanied  on  his  journey  by  his  two  brothers,  Nathan  and  Daniel, 
and  in  1677  the  three  secured  a  tract  of  seventeen  hundred  acres  of  land  on 
Long  Island.  This  included  all  the  portion  of  the  island  known  as  Glen 
Cove,  and  thereon  Robert  Coles,  who  was  the  great-grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject,  made  his  home.     There  also  occurred  the   birth   of  Jesse   Coles,  the 


.e^^ 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  537 

grandfather,  whose  natal  day  was  in  September,  1757.  He  was  one  of  the 
gallant  heroes  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  serving  all  through  the  seven 
long  years  of  that  conflict.  For  three  years  he  was  on  detached  duty  as  a 
spy  under  the  command  of  Washington,  and  being  taken  prisoner  was 
incarcerated  in  the  old  "  sugar-house  prison,"  but  was  afterward  paroled. 
Later  he  was  again  captured  by  an  English  boat  on  the  Long  Island  sound, 
while  carrying  messages,  but  the  papers  were  skillfully  hidden  under  the  lin- 
ing of  his  coat  between  the  shoulders,  and  were  not  found;  so,  there  being  no 
proof  against  him,  he  was  released.  Had  the  papers  been  found  he  would 
have  been  summarily  shot.  The  gun  which  he  carried,  and  which  had  been 
given  to  his  father  by  Richard  Mott,  is  now  in  possession  of  our  subject,  as 
is  the  old  family  clock.  While  a  prisoner  in  the  sugar-house  the  life  of 
Jesse  Coles  was  saved  by  Anna  Mott,  a  nurse,  who  warned  him  against  eat- 
ing some  food  that  had  been  poisoned.  When  his  loved  country  no  longer 
needed  his  services  he  returned  to  the  peaceful  pursuits  of  the  farm,  and  on 
the  25th  of  March,  1781,  was  married  to  Deborah  Carpenter. 

Their  son,  Joseph  Coles,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Greenburg 
township,  Westchester  county,  December  27,  1790,  and  died  July  2,  1872, 
in  the  house  now  occupied  by  Abraham  A.  Coles.  During  his  active  busi- 
ness career  he  followed  agricultural  pursuits  and  met  with  success  in  his 
various  business  undertakings.  Prior  to  the  Civil  war  he  was  a  Democrat, 
but  at  that  time  he  transferred  his  allegiance  to  the  Republican  party  and 
was  afterward  one  of  the  stalwart  advocates  of  its  principles.  He  was  also 
a  faithful  member  of  the  Reformed  church,  and  his  honorable  life  commanded 
-uniform  regard  from  his  fellow  men.  He  married  Elizabeth  Yerks,  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  Yerks.  She  was  born  in  Mount  Pleasant,  Westchester 
county,  February  25,   1801,  and  departed  this  life  July  15,   1871. 

Abraham  A.  Coles,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  and  who  is  now 
a  leading  citizen  of  Tarrytown,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Mount  Pleasant, 
Westchester  county,  October  7,  1827.  He  was  reared  in  a  manner  usual 
to  farmer  boys  of  that  period  and  locality,  and  pursued  his  education  in  what 
was  then  known  as  the  "  old  red  school-house."  Between  the  ages  of  twelve 
and  twenty  years  he  worked  industriously  upon  the  home  farm  and  then 
entered  upon  an  independent  business  career.  For  a  few  years  he  operated 
a  farm  of  his  own  and. engaged  in  raising  live  stock  to  some  extent,  but  since 
the  fall  of  1865  he  has  not  resided  on  the  old  homestead,  which  is  situated 
in  Greenburg  township,  his  home  being  now  in  Tarrytown.  Disposing  of 
his  farm  he  came  to  live  with  his  parents,  who  had  been  residents  of  Tarry- 
town for  several  years,  caring  for  them  until  they  were  called  from  the 
scene  of  earth's  activities.  Mr.  Coles  has  since  continued  to  live  in  the 
■old  Tarrytown  home,  devoting  his  time  and  energies  to    the    management  of 


538  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

his  various  investments  and  valuable  property  interests.      He   is   also  one  of 
the  trustees  of  the  Westchester  County  Savings  Bank. 

In  1873  Mr.  Coles  married  Julia  A.,  daughter  of  Daniel  D.  and  Julia  S. 
(Amerman)  Foot,  and  a  granddaughter  of  Isaac  Amerman,  who  served  as  an 
alderman  in  New  York  city  for  several  years  and  was  a  prominent  citizen  of 
the  metropolis.  Mrs.  Coles  is  a  native  of  that  city,  and  by  her  marriage  has 
become  the  mother  of  four  sons,  namely:  Edward  A.,  Fred  H.,  Charles 
L.  and  Russell.  Mr.  Coles  is  identified  with  the  church  of  his  ancestors, 
the  Reformed,  while  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church.  Widely 
and  favorably  known  in  Tarrytown,  the  warm  personal  friendships  which 
they  inspire  secure  them  the  hospitality  of  the  best  homes  of  the  place. 
Like  his  honored  father,  Mr.  Coles  gives  his  political  support  to  the  Repub- 
lican party,  but  he  has  never  aspired  to  official  distinction,  preferring  to 
devote  his  attention  to  his  business  interests,  in  the  management  of  which 
he  displays  marked  ability  and  executive  force,  combined  with  keen  discrimi- 
nation. 

AUGUSTUS  M.  HALSTED. 

We  are  now  permitted  to  touch  briefly  upon  the  life  history  of  one  who 
has  retained  a  persona]  association  with  the  business  affairs  of  Westchester 
county  for  many  years,  but  is  now  living  retired  at  Rye,  and  whose  ancestral 
line  traces  back  to  the  colonial  epoch  in  our  country's  history.  His  life  has 
been  one  of  honest  and  earnest  endeavor,  and  due  success  has  not  been 
denied. 

Records  show  that  the  Halsted  family  is  of  English  origin,  and  that  it 
was  founded  on  American  soil  about  1628  by  representatives  of  the  name  from 
Hemill-Hempstead,  England.  They  settled  in  or  near  Boston,  and  the  family 
name  appears  in  the  log  of  the  Mayflower.  Subsequently  they  removed  to 
Providence  Plantation,  now  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  and  at  a  later  date 
one  of  the  family  went  to  Long  Island  and,  in  connection  with  other  early 
colonists,  founded  the  town  of  Hempstead.  For  several  generations  the 
Halsted  family  has  been  connected  with  the  history  of  Westchester  county. 
The  parents  of  Ezekiel  Halsted,  the  great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  were 
the  first  to  locate  here,  and  his  birth  occurred  in  New  Rochelle,  November 
29,  1738.  At  an  early  day  he  removed  to  Rye  township  and  settled  on  the 
old  homestead,  which  is  still  in  possession  of  the  family  and  a  part  of  which 
will  be  inherited  by  our  subject  should  he  outlive  the  present  life  tenant. 
Ezekiel  Halsted  was  a  large  land-owner  and  extensive  farmer,  as  well  as  one 
of  the  most  prominent  and  influential  citizens  of  his  community.  He  served 
with  distinction  as  captain  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  His  son,  Philemon, 
was  also  a  captain  in  the  state  militia,  and  his  discharge  papers,  granted  by 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  539' 

Governor  Jay,  of  New  York,  are  now  in  possession  of  Augustus  M.  Halsted. 
He- was  the  first  president  of  the  Westchester  County  Agricultural  Associa- 
tion, and  was  an  important  factor  in  the  promotion  of  many  interests  of  public 
concern. 

The  grandfather,  Philemon  Halsted,  was  born  on  the  old  homestead  in 
Rye  township,  and  there  spent  his  entire  life  as  a  successful  farmer,  owning 
large  tracts  of  land.  He  was  also  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  com- 
munity, and  for  a  great  many  years  served  as  president  of  the  Westchester 
County  Agricultural  Society.  He  married  Deborah  Davenport,  a  daughter 
of  Lawrence  Davenport,  of  New  Rochelle,  and  to  them  were  born  two  chil- 
dren: James  Davenport  and  Newberry  Davenport,  the  latter  a  prominent 
farmer.  He  took  a  very  active  part  in  public  affairs  and  was  acceptably 
serving  as  a  member  of  the  state  legislature  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

James  Davenport  Halsted,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  on  the 
old  family  homestead,  October  20,  1809,  and  carried  on  agricultural  pur- 
suits in  the  township  of  Rye  throughout  his  entire  life.  He  was  a  recognized 
leader  of  public  thought,  action  and  opinion  and  left  the  impress  of  his  strong 
individuality  upon  many  measures  of  general  interest.  A  stanch  supporter  of 
the  Democratic  party,  he  efficiently  served  for  many  years  as  supervisor  of 
this  township.  Although  not  a  member  of  Christ  Episcopal  church,  he- 
served  as  one  of  its  vestrymen  for  a  number  of  years  and  was  held  in  the 
highest  regard  by  all  who  knew  him.  His  death  occurred  January  25,  1865. 
His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Elizabeth  S.  Todd,  was  born  July  2, 
1 8 16,  in  Waterford,  Saratoga  county,  New  York,  and  died  October  28,  1896. 
She  was  a  most  estimable  Jady,  and  during  her  entire  residence  in  Rye  was  a 
faithful  member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church.  Of  their  three  children 
Augustus  M.  is  the  eldest.  James  M.  is  a  resident  of  Oakland,  California; 
and  Elizabeth  S.  is  the  wife  of  H.  C.  Edgette,  of  Haddonfield,  New  Jersey. 

Mr.  Halsted,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  was  born  in  Rye 
township,  November  22,  1836,  and  his  boyhood  days  were  spent  under  the 
parental  roof.  He  had  charge  of  the  home  farm  from  the  time  he  was  seven- 
teen years  of  age  until  1862,  when  he  engaged  in  the  produce  and  commis- 
sion business,  in  New  York  city,  carrying  on  operations  along  that  line  for 
three  years.  During  the  following  four  or  five  years  he  was  engaged  in 
newspaper  work  there,  as  associate  editor  of  a  stock  paper,  and  on  one  of 
the  prominent  evening  dailies,  reporting  political  meetings  and  the  actions  of 
other  large  conventions  and  assemblages  as  his  special  department  of  the  work. 
He  next  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  specialties  in  sheet-metal  goods,  and 
was  the  first  in  America  to  invent  and  make  a  self-regulating  incubator.  On 
account  of  ill  health  he  retired  from  business  in  1895,  and  is  now  enjoying  a 
well  earned  rest,  free  from  the  cares  and  responsibilites  of  business  life. 


540  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

Mr.  Halsted  married  Miss  Amanda  M.  Hayward,  a  daughter  of  Colonel 
John  R.  Hayward,  a  prominent  citizen  of  East  Chester,  New  York,  whose 
farm  comprised  a  greater  part  of  the  present  city  of  Mount  Vernon,  and  who 
died  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years.  The  children  born  to  this  worthy  couple 
are  as  follows:  Rev.  Newberry  O.,  an  Episcopal  minister,  who  is  now  super- 
intendent of  St.  Johnland,  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  home  for  aged  men  and  orphan 
children,  at  Kings  Park,  Long  Island;  Carrie  L. ,  wife  of  G.  Arthur  Tuthill, 
of  Brooklyn,  New  York;  James  D.,  a  contractor  and  builder,  in  Rye;  J. 
Henry,  who  is  engaged  in  advertising  specialties  and  patent  business  in  New 
York  city;  Jennie  A.,  wife  of  William  H.  Porter,  of  the  firm  of  William  Por- 
ter &  Sons,  New  York;  Florence,  a  talented  artist  in  minature  and  figure 
work;  A.  Elizabeth,  at  home;  and  Robert  A.,  who  is  attending  the  Irving 
Institute,  at  Tarrytown.  The  family  is  identified  with  the  Episcopal  church, 
and  in  politics  Mr.  Halsted  affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party.  For  eight- 
een years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  education,  serving  as  its 
president  for  fifteen  years,  but  he  has  never  cared  for  political  honors,  always 
refusing  to  become  a  candidate  for  office.  In  manner  he  is  pleasant,  genial 
and  approachable,  and  all  who  know  him  esteem  him  highly  for  his  genuine 
worth. 

WILLIAM  MAISON  du  BOIS. 

Mr.  du  Bois  was  born  in  the  town  of  Ossining,  Westchester  county,  New 
York,  and  moved  in  1871  to  the  town  of  White  Plains,  in  the  same  county, 
to  the  residence  on  Hamilton  avenue  where  he  has  lived  since  that  time. 

He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  New  York  state  as  attorney  and  counselor 
at  law  in  1879,  after  having  graduated  at  the  Columbia  Law  School  with  the 
degree  of  LL.  B. .  and  has  followed  the  practice  of  the  law,  his  office  being 
located  in  White  Plains.  He  was  also  admitted  to  the  United  States  district 
■court  in  1879. 

He  is  descended  from  many  families  whose  names  are  to  be  found  among 
the  earliest  records  of  this  country,  some  of  his  ancestors  being  of  Huguenot 
origin,  to-wit:  duBois,  Le  Fevre,  Hasbrouck,  Deyo  (four  of  the  patentees 
of  New  Paltz,  New  York),  Bianshan,  du  Ry,  Le  Maistre,  Le  Comte,  Par- 
mentier  and  Cresson;  some  of  them  being  Holland  Dutch,  to-wit:  van  Bomell, 
van  Kleeck,  van  der  Bogart,  van  Voorhoudt,  van  Schoonhoven,  van  der 
Linden,  van  Dyck,  Viele,  Aertsen,  ter  Bos,  Segers,  Schouw,  Frederickse, 
Ten  Broeck,  Ten  Eyck,  Jorisen,  Schermerhorn  and  Meyer;  some  of  them 
English,  to-wit:  Skinner,  Manning,  Way,  Marshall,  Broadhead  and  Hugh- 
son;  and  some  of  them  of  various  nationalities:  for  instance,  Zabriskie 
<Poland),  Goetschius  (Swiss),  Vermilye  (Italian),  Hazard  (Welsh). 

Mr.  du  Bois  is  a  Freemason  and  a  member  and  officer  of  White  Plains 


OfyyuUiMeu 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  541 

Lodge,  No.  473,  F.  &.  A.  M.,  of  the  state  of  New  York,  and  also  a  member 
of  the  following  (and  other)  societies,  viz. :  Society  of  Colonial  Wars,  Sons 
of  the  Revolution,  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  Saint  Nicholas  Society 
of  New  York,  Huguenot  Society  of  America,  Washington  Continental  Guard, 
New  York  Genealogical  and  Biographical  Society,  New  York  Historical 
Society,  Westchester  County  Historical  Society  and  the  Westchester  County 
Bar  Association.  ' 

He  married,  at  White  Plains,  New  York,  first,  Grace  Bartram,  who  died 
May  29,  1885,  eldest  daughter  of  Colonel  Nelson  B.  Bartram;  and  secondly, 
Mabel  Bartram,  the  second  daughter  of  Colonel  Bartram.  Colonel  Bartram, 
who  died  December  25,  1886,  was  of  New  England  descent  and  commanded 
during  the  war  of  the  Rebelhon  the  regiment  raised  by  the  Union  League 
Club  of  New  York  city. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  du  Bois  have  one  child,  a  daughter  named  Mabel. 


A.  WATSON  NEUMAN. 


A.  Watson  Neuman,  of  Nepera.  Westchester  county.  New  York,  is  one 
of  the  representative  and  well-known  men  of  this  county.  He  was  born 
here  February  24,  1848,  and  belongs  to  a  family  long  resident  in  America. 
His  father,  Alvah  Neuman,  was  born  in  181 3,  son  of  John  Neuman  and 
grandson  of  Joseph  Neuman,  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  John 
Neuman  married  Hannah  Benedict,  daughter  of  Colonel  Benedict,  an  officer 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  the  musket  that 
was  used  by  his  great-grandfather,  Joseph  Neuman,  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  It  has  the  mark  made  by  a  saber  cut  in  the  hands  of  a  British  officer. 
While  in  charge  he  warded  off  the  blow  with  his  gun  and  used  the  bayonet. 
John  Neuman  had  ten  children:  Joseph  (i),  Sarah,  Rebecca,  Elizabeth, 
Holly,  Alvah,  Deborah,  Joseph  (2),  Mary  Jane  and  Patience.  Alvah  Neu- 
man, the  father  of  our  subject,  married  Nancy  See,  daughter  of  James  Peter 
See  and  granddaughter  of  Peter  See,  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  Thus  it  is 
seen  that  A.  Watson  Neuman  can  in  more  ways  than  one  trace  his  direct 
descent  from  Revolutionary  stock.  Alvah  Neuman  and  wife  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  three  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Those  who 
reached  adult  years  are  as  follows:  James  A.;  John  Milton,  of  New  York; 
William  A.,  also  of  New  York;  A.  Watson,  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch;  Abbie  Amelia,  wife  of  Bailey  Kipp;  and  Loring,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  twenty-five  years.  The  mother  died  in  1883,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven 
years,  and  the  father  died  in  1891,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight.  Some  time 
before  his  death  he  was  thrown  from  a  wagon  and  had  a  limb  broken,  and 
from  the  effects  of  this  injury  he  never  recovered.      He  was  a  prosperous 


542  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

farmer,  religiously  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church,  being  an  elder  of  the 
same,  and  politically  a  Democrat.  April  3,  1809.  by  Daniel  D.  Tompkins, 
governor  of  New  York,  he  was  appointed  an  officer  in  the  military  regiment 
of  Westchester  county. 

A.  Watson  Neuman  was  reared  on  the  old  farmstead,  and  in  1879  he 
married  Miss  Anna  May  Graham,  daughter  of  Newman  Graham,  and,  like 
her  husband,  having  Revolutionary  blood  in  her  veins.  Her  grandfather, 
Dr.  Isaac  Graham,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  was  a  de- 
scendant of  the  Scotch  duke  of  Montrose.  Newman  Graham  married 
Anne  Onderdonk,  a  daughter  of  Abraham  Onderdonk,  a  native  of  New 
York.  Three  children  came  to  bless  their  union, — Ike  Gilbert,  of  Tarry- 
town;  William  Warren,  of  Sing  Sing;  and  Anna  May.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neu- 
man have  four  children, — Anna  Kate,  Albert  Milton,  Howard  Graham  and 
Laurinda. 

Both  Mr.  Newman  and  his  wife  were  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Reformed 
church  and  they,  like  their  parents,  are  consistent  members  of  the  same,  he 
being  an  elder  in  the  church.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  served 
several  terms  as  township  collector. 


GEORGE  F.   ODELL. 


Since  1893  George  F.  Odell  has  been  a  resident  of  the  town  of  Congers, 
New  York,  while  his  place  of  business  is  in  Yonkers.  In  both  of  these  thriv- 
ing little  cities  he  is  very  well  known  and  occupies  a  prominent  place  as  a 
citizen.  As  an  active  member  of  the  Citizens'  Land  Improvement  Associa- 
tion of  Congers  he  has  forwarded  the  interests  of  the  town,  and  is  recognized 
as  one  who  is  thoroughly  patriotic,  striving  ever  that  the  communities  with 
which  his  life  is  connected  may  be  sent  onward  on  the  road  to  progress.  He 
was  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  movement  to  organize  the  association  above 
mentioned  at  Congers,  and  has  been  the  chairman  of  the  same  for  three 
years.  Not  waiting  for  others,  he  has  initiated  and  brought  about  numerous 
works  of  improvement  there,  and  has  ably  seconded  many  enterprises  which 
have  materially  benefited  the  place. 

For  years  an  able  and  efficient  worker  in  the  Republican  party,  he 
founded  a  club  in  Congers.  At  first  it  comprised  but  ten  members,  but  the 
zeal  and  energy  of  Mr.  Odell  on  behalf  of  the  party  and  the  constantly  grow- 
ing population  of  the  town  have  wonderfully  aided  the  club,  which  now,  at 
the  end  of  two  years'  existence,  boasts  of  over  one  hundred  members.  The 
•efforts  of  Mr.  Odell  have  secured  the  opening  of  several  new  streets  and  the 
paving  of  many;  the  proper  organization  of  the  town  under  an  approved  sys- 
.tem  of  administration,   regular  departments,   etc.      No  more    fitting  man 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  543 

could  have  been  found  for  the  honor  and  position  of  postmaster  there,  and  it 
was  an  appointment  which  was  hailed  with  pleasure  by  the  majority  of  the 
citizens  of  Congers,  when,  in  1898,  he  was  chosen  for  the  office.  He  has 
frequently  attended  conventions  of  his_  party,  and  has  often  gone  in  the 
capacity  of  a  delegate. 

A  son  of  James  B.  Odell,  and  born  during  the  civil  war,  George  F. 
Odell  is  in  the  prime  of  manhood.  His  birth-place  was  in  Yonkers,  and  the 
date  of  his  advent  on  the  stage  of  human  existence  February  20,  1863. 
After  he  had  completed  a  liberal  education  in  the  public  schools  of  this  place 
he  entered  the  Yale  College  Preparatory  School  here,  his  plan  then  being  to 
enter  the  medical  profession  later.  This  idea,  however,  he  abandoned,  and 
for  two  years  he  engaged  in  the  steam  job  printing  business  with  William  P. 
Constable,  of  the  firm  of  Odell  &  Constable.  The  six  years  following  he 
traveled  representing  the  Van  Derveer  &  Holmes  Biscuit  Company  of  New 
York  city,  and  in  1895  he  opened  a  wholesale  biscuit  business  on  his  own 
account  in  Yonkers,  and  has  since  handled  the  wares  of  the  National  Biscuit 
Company,  dealing  in  the  same  in  wholesale  quantities.  He  has  met  with 
the  business  success  which  he  eminently  deserves,  and  on  account  of  his 
health  was  compelled  to  retire  from  the  business,  so  sold  out  to  the  National 
Biscuit  Company  and  now  has  located  in  Congers  in  the  real-estate  and 
insurance-brokerage  business,  which  is  meeting  with  success.  Fraternally, 
he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order  as  a  member  of  Rising  Star  Lodge,  No.  450, 
F.  &  A.  M.  Moreover,  he  is  connected  with  John  C.  Shotts  Camp,  sons  of 
veterans;  with  the  Knights  of  Honor,  and  the  Lincoln  Legion,  a  political  and 
social  organization;  also  is  an  honorary  member  of  the  Congers  fire  depart- 
ment. In  his  religious  belief  he  is  a  Methodist,  a  member  of  the  First 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Yonkers. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Odell  and  Miss  Emma  K.  Graham,  of  King's 
Bridge,  New  York  city,  was  solemnized  April  22,.  1889.  Two  little  daugh- 
ters grace  their  union,  namely:  Helen  Ruth  and  Wilhelmina  Catherine. 


DANIEL  D.   LEVINESS. 


Daniel  D.  Leviness,  a  retired  farmer  of  Scarsdale,  Westchester  county, 
New  York,  is  one  the  oldest  and  most  highly  respected  citizens  of  the  com- 
munity, having  passed  the  eightieth  milestone  on  life's  journey.  He  was  born 
October  30,  1817,  and  is  a  native  of  the  town  of  Greenburg,  as  were  his  par- 
ents. His  father,  Gershorn  Leviness,  was  born  in  1794,  and  was  married  to 
Phoebe  Tompkins,  who  was  born  in  1793.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  as  follows:  Becca  Ann,  who  married  Edward  LeFurgy;  Phebe  Jane, 
-wife  of  Gilbert  Lawrence;  Mary  Elizabeth,   who  became  the  wife  of  John 


544  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

LeFurgy  and  after  his  death  married  Jasper  Devoe;  Frances  Caroline,  wife  of 
Andrew  Olson;  John  Wesley,  who  married  Hannah  Taylor;  Sarah  Esther,  wife 
of  Alexander  Taylor;  and  Abigail  Adelia,  wife  of  David  Quick.  The  Leviness 
family  originated  in  France,  and  the  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  was 
Joseph  Leviness,  who  married  Elizabeth  Sherwood.  The  maternal  grand- 
parents were  Nathan  and  Effie  Tompkins.  Gershorn  Leviness  died  July  i6, 
1882. 

Daniel  Leviness  spent  his  boyhood  days  under  the  parental  roof  and 
attended  the  district  school  of  the  neighborhood.  When  he  was  fourteen 
years  of  age  his  father  rented  a  farm  and  through  the  summer  months  he 
assisted  in  its  cultivation,  while  in  the  winter  season  he  pursued  his  studies. 
He  was  thus  employed  for  two  years,  when  he  secured  work  as  a  farm  hand. 
He  was  employed  in  that  capacity  for  four  years,  daring  which  time  he  gave 
his  wages  to  his  father.  The  latter  then  purchased  a  farm  and  Daniel 
Leviness  worked  for  him  until  his  death  occurred,  in  1882.  Two  years 
before  his  demise  he  gave  a  part  of  the  farm  to  our  subject  and  said 
that  if  it  had  not  been  for  Daniel  he  would  never  have  owned  a  farm. 
Throughout  his  life  Daniel  D.  Leviness  has  thus  carried  on  agricultural  pur- 
suits. His  diligent  attention  to  his  work  insured  him  good  crops,  while  his 
profits  were  judiciously  invested  until  he  now  rests  secure  in  the  knowledge 
that  he  has  sufficient  means  to  enable  him  to  spend  his  last  days  in  comfort 
and  plenty. 

In  1881  Mr.  Leviness  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Alletta  Olsen,  who 
died  in  1892.  He  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  views,  and  has  always 
taken  an  active  interest  in  state  and  county  politics,  but  has  not  been  an 
aspirant  for  office.  He  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  gold  standard  and  expressed, 
his  opinion  by  casting  his  vote  William  McKinley  in  1896.  He  is  an  honored 
member  of  the  Reformed  church  of  Greenburg,  and  although  in  his  eighty- 
second  year  is  a  remarkably  bright  gentleman  who  has  retained  the  posses- 
sion of  all  his  faculties. 

WILLIAM  M.  WILSON. 

There  is  no  denying  the  fact  that  austere  virtue  leads  to  the  greatest 
degree  of  happiness,  and  that  in  the  case  of  the  Wilson  family  it  has  also  led. 
to  those  great  concomitants  of  happiness, —  longevity,  business  ability  and 
success  generally. 

Mr.  Wilson,  who  has  now  for  the  past  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  been  Et 
retired  resident  of  Mount  Vernon,  enjoying  in  the  evening  of  life  the  happy 
results  of  a  life  well  spent,  was  born  March  16,  1820,  in  Colchester  county, 
Nova  Scotia,  where  his  grandfather,  William  Wilson,  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers,    after    England  had   gained  possession  of    the  dominion  from  the 


'9r^  ^^^^^r:^^^^ 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  54§ 

French.  He  was  a  farmer  from  Londonderry,  Ireland,  of  Scotch-Irish 
ancestry,  and  his  adherence  to  Presbyterianism  was  of  the  most  zealous 
type,  although  in  his  manner  he  was  quiet  and  unassuming.  He  married 
Esther  Reid  and  had  seven  sons  and  three  daughters, —  Samuel,  William, 
John,  Henry,  Frank,  Robert,  James,  Hannah,  Mary  and  Esther, —  all  of 
whom  lived  to  be  nearly  a  hundred  years  old,  their  ages  aggregating  eight 
hundred  and  seventy-six  years!  Their  mother  died  at  the  age  of  one  hundred 
years. 

The  father  of  William  M.  was  James  Wilson,  who  was  born  in  Nova 
Scotia,  was  a  farmer,  owning  a  considerable  amount  of  land,  married  Eliza- 
beth Staples' and  had  thirteen  children.  All  the  sons  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  for  their  life's  calling.  He  departed  this  life  in  the  year  1888,  at  the 
age  of  ninety-five  years,  in  Nova  Scotia.  His  children  were:  John,  born 
July  5,  1816;  Rachel,  June  25,  1818;  William  M.,  March  16,  i820(oursub- 
ject);  Robert,  November  20,  1822;  Easter,  February  3,  1824;  Jane  S., 
October  6,  1825;  Matthew,  September  17,  1827;  Mary  C,  June  5,  1830; 
Jervis,  August  21,  1832;  David,  April  24,  1835;  James,  May  11,  1837; 
Sidney,  October  13,  1839;  and  Junius  R.,  January  18,  1840.  The  youngest 
died  at  the  age  of  eleven  years,  but  all  the  rest  grew  up  to  years  of  maturity. 
Their  mother  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years. 

Mr.  William  M.  Wilson,  the  subject  proper  of  this  record,  received  his 
education  in  a  private  school,  but  being  the  eldest  of  the  sons  his  work  was 
of  such  a  nature  that  he  could  not  attend  regularly.  He  remained  an  inmate 
of  the  parental  home  until  he  was  twenty-one  and  a  half  years  of  age,  when 
he  left  for  the  great  metropolis,  New  York,  with  only  sixty  cents  in  money! 
There,  among  strangers,  he  was  to  seek  his  fortune  and  make  his  own  way 
in  the  world.  Learning  the  trade  of  carpenter,  in  which  he  soon  became 
highly  skilled,  he  followed  that  vocation  for  several  years,  when  he  began 
taking  contracts  for  building  and  also  engaged  in  speculating,  buyfng  lots  and 
improving  and  selling  them.  Both  in  his  contract  work  and  his  improvement 
of  lots  for  sale  he  was  signally  successful,  maintaining  meanwhile  the  highest 
degree  of  credit  and  honor. 

In  1884  he  moved  to  Mount  Vernon,  which  beautiful  city  has  since 
been  liis  place  of  residence,  and  here  he  has  built  a  number  of  residences, 
including  his  own,  he  being  his  own  architect.  He  has  led  a  very  active  and 
busy  life,  but  for  the  last  fifteen  years  he  has  practically  retired  from  the 
heavy  duties  and  responsibilities  of  business.  As  a  diversion  he  keeps  a 
"spanking"  team  of  trotters,  his  tastes  leading  him  rather  to  out-door 
recreation. 

In  his  views  of  national  policies  he  is  a  Republican;  and  in  his  religious. 

convictions  he  has  been  a  decided  and  zealous  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 
35 


546  WESTCHESTER  CQUNTY. 

ever  since  he  was  nine  years  of  age,  showing  religious  indination  even  as 
early  as  the  age  of  six.  His  piety  is  deep,  his  religious  principles  definite, 
positive  and  strong,  and  his  church  relations  have  ever  been  the  most  pleas- 
ant. He  was  a  trustee  of  the  Baptist  church  on  Forty-second  street,  in  New 
York  city,  and  is  now  a  trustee  and  deacon  of  the  Mount  Vernon  Baptist 
church. 

June  1 8,  1848,  he  was  united  in  matrimony  with  Miss  Sarah  Maria  Ro£f, 
and  they  have  had  five  children,  namely:  Jane  E.,  who  died  in  childhood; 
Eunice,  deceased;  WiUiam  F.,  who  was  a  carpenter  and  builder,  but  at 
present  is  an  inventor,  residing  in  Mount  Vernon;  Ulysses  S.  Grant,  a  builder 
in  Tuckahoe,  this  county,  where  he  resides;  and  Schuyler  Colfa.x,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years. 

As  a  miscellaneous  item  we  may  mention  that  Mr.  Wilson  is  related  by 
blood  to  the  Harper  and  the  Cutten  families,  of  Massachusetts,  and  the 
celebrated  publishers  of  New  York  city,  the  Harper  Brothers. 


THOMAS    FEARON. 


In  connection  with  the  boat-building  industry  the  name  of  Thomas 
Fearon  is  known  throughout  the  country,  and  in  rowing  circles  it  is  no  less 
familiar,  for  his  ability  as  an  oarsman  has  gained  him  national  fame.  Almost 
his  entire  life  has  been  passed  in  southeastern  New  York,  where  by  his  own 
unaided  efforts  he  has  risen  from  a  humble  position  to  one  of  prominence  in 
the  business  world,  his  successful  career  standing  as  an  exemplification  of  the 
possibilities  that  are  open  to  young  men  of  ambition,  courage,  enterprise  and 
energy  in  this  fair  land. 

Born  in  New  York  city.  May  15,  1842,  he  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Mary 
(Strang)  Fearon.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  on  coming  to 
America  located  in  New  York  city,  where  he  spent  his  remaining  days.  The 
mother  died  during  tf;e  early  boyhood  of  her  son,  who  was  then  reared  by 
strangers.  He  made  his  home  with  farmers  in  Westchester  county,  and 
secured  his  education  in  the  district  schools,  pursuing  his  studies  through  the 
winter  months,  while  in  the  summer  he  assisted  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
fields.  He  was  also  for  a  time  in  school  No.  2  at  Yonkers,  and  in  the  little 
yellow  school-house  at  Tuckahoe.  In  the  spring  of  1857  his  employer,  Mr. 
Westfield,  removed  to  Chicago,  Illinois,  where  he  secured  a  farm,  upon  which 
Mr.  Fearon  worked  until  Mr.  Westfield  returned  to  the  east.  Our  subject 
then  secured  a  position  as  ship  carpenter  and  followed  that  trade  until  the 
election  of  President  Lincoln,  when  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  drafts- 
man in  the  navy  yard  at  Brooklyn,  where  he  remained  until  1864. 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  547 

In  that  year  Mr.  Fearon  came  to  Yonkers  and  purchased  the  boat-build- 
ing business  of  John  Ackerman,  whose  establishment  was  located  on  the  pres- 
ent site  of  the  rubber  factory*  There  he  carried  on  operations  until  1867, 
when  he  established  his  present  plant  at  the  foot  of  Gold  street.  He  has  con- 
ducted a  successful  business  since  that  tinie  and  his  reputation  as  a  boat- 
builder  has  extended  throughout  the  entire  country.  He  has  been  particularly 
famous  for  his  racing  shell-boats,  which  are  regarded  as  the  best  produced  in 
America.  These  are  of  the  finest  workmanship,  and  in  their  construction 
the  most  care  and  exactness  is  required,  so  that  they  shall  be  absolutely  per- 
fect. He  builds  the  boats  in  use  by  various  colleges,  and  since  the  decline 
of  rowing  as  a  sport  he  has  made  a  specialty  of  steam  launches  and 
other  small  craft.  He  has  a  large  factory,  one  hundred  and  fifty  by  thirty- 
three  feet,  supplied  with  all  modern  machinery  and  appliances  necessary  for 
the  production  of  the  finest  boats  known  to  the  trade.  In  his  business  Mr. 
Fearon  has  met  with  most  gratifying  success,  his  sales  having  reached  exten- 
sive proportions,  as  his  products  have  found  favor  with  the  public  owing  to 
their  excellence  and  superiority  over  many  others  that  are  produced.  He  has 
invested  considerable  capital  in  real  estate,  and  now  has  some  valuable  realty 
holdings  in  Yonkers.  His  sound  judgment  in  business  matters,  his  thorough 
understanding  of  the  industry,  his  reliability  and  resolution  in  carrying  out 
his  carefully  formed  plans,  all  insure  him  success,  and  at  the  same  time  have 
won  him  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  has  had  dealings. 

Mr.  Fearon 's  skill  as  an  oarsman  has  also  gained  him  a  national  reputa- 
tion, and  he  is  particularly  well  known  as  the  amateur  champion  single  sculler 
of  America.  He  was  prominent  in  the  organization  of  the  Vesper  Rowing 
Association  of  Yonkers,  which  was  formed  August  12,  1867,  other  charter 
members  being  Thomas  Franklin,  R.  C.  Elliott,  Benjamin  Mason,  William 
McFarlane,  James  T.  Howland,  William  Hull  and  George  Watt.  They 
erected  a  club  house  at  a  cost  of  five  thousand  dollars,  and  the  club  became 
very  prominent  by  reason  of  the  victories  won  by  its  noted  crew,  composed 
of  Thomas  Fearon,  bow;  Owen  Van  Winkle,  No.  2;  William  McFarlane, 
No.  3;  and  John  H.  Keeler,  stroke.  This  crew  participated  in  many  con- 
tests with  crews  of  the  Hudson  River  Amateur  Rowing  Association,  composed 
of  clubs  on  the  Hudson  between  New  York  and  Albany,  and  never  met 
defeat  in  a  single  race.  They  achieved  a  national  reputation,  and  in  all  the 
regattas,  scull  and  barge  races  carried  off  the  honors  over  skilled  competitors. 
The  first  notable  race  which  they  won  was  held  at  the  Elysian  Fields,  Hobo- 
ken,  New  Jersey,  gaining  two  races  in  one  day  and  carrying  off  the  silver- 
service  medal.  The  first  race  was  an  eight-oared-barge  race,  and  the  second 
was  a  four-oared-shell  race,  in  which  five  crews  Were  entered'.  One  of  the 
most  exciting  races  in  which  they  participated  was  held  at  Bergen  Point, 


548  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

August  29,  1 87 1,  their  opponents  being  the  Argonautas.  Thousands  of 
people  witnessed  the  race,  the  greatest  excitement  prevailed,  and  large  wagers 
were  staked  on  the  result.  They  made  a  mile  and  a  half  in  seven  minutes 
and  ten  seconds.  After  that  race  the  members  of  the  crew  were  the  undis- 
puted amateur  champions  of  the  country.  In  1876  they  won  a  victory  in  a 
regatta  at  Philadelphia,  open  .to  all.  In  1868  Mr.  Fearon  won  the  single- 
scull  championship  medal  from  the  Hudson  River  Amateur  Rowing  Associa- 
tion, consisting  of  the  flag  and  diamond  medal.  The  flag  had  to  be  won  for 
three  successive  years  in  order  to  hold  it,  and  accordingly  he  won  it  in  1869 
and  1 870.  This  was  a  medal  sought  more  than  any  other  offered  by  the 
association,  and  the  association  entered  their  best  man,  Edward  Smith,  a 
nephew  of  the  celebrated  Josh  Ward,  who  defeated  the  English  champion. 
Mr.  Fearon  defeated  Smith  in  three  miles  single  by  one-eighth  of  a  mile,  up 
to  which  time  Smith  had  never  met  defeat.  The  race  took  place  at  Yonkers 
in  1882.  In  1874,  at  Saratoga,  in  the  intercollegiate  single-scull  races,  Mr. 
Fearon's  boats,  which  he  had  built  himself,  won  all  the  races.  Boat-racing 
was  then  one  of  the  most  popular  sports  of  the  time,  and  these  events  were 
frequently  attended  by  twenty  thousand  people.  Mr.  Fearon,  in  all  the 
many  contests  in  which  he  has  taken  part,  has  never  been  defeated  but  twice 
— once  by  George  Lee,  a  professional  oarsman,  now  rowing  in  England,  and 
the  second  time  by  Kennedy,  of  Bob  Cook's  crew,  who  rowed  at  the  Cen- 
tennial, in  Philadelphia,  in  1876.  He  has  won  about  sixty  medals  in  racing, 
and  for  many  years  hardly  had  an  equal  in  the  entire  country. 

In  May,  1864,  Mr.  Fearon  was  married,  the  lady  of  his  choice  being 
Miss  Elizabeth  H.  Dingee,  a  daughter  of  Henry  A.  Dingee,  of  New  York 
city.  He  was  a  native  of  Yonkers,  and  spent  his  last  days  here.  His  father 
was  once  the  owner  of  Chicken  island.  Henry  Dingee  became  the  owner  of 
extensive  real-estate  holdings  in  Yonkers,  much  of  which  is  still  in  possession 
of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Fearon.  He  was  a  very  enterprising  and  successful 
business  man  and  amassed  a  comfortable  fortune.  He  died  in  New  York 
city,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fearon  have  been 
born  five  children:  Mary  Dingee,  wife  of  Edward  T.  Howard,  a  resident  of 
Yonkers;  Jane  A.;  Henry,  deceased;  and  two  who  died  in  infancy.  The 
Fearon  household  is  noted  for  its  bountiful  hospitality,  which  is  enjoyed  by 
the  most  prominent  people  of  Yonkers.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fearon  occupy  a  very 
enviable  position  in  cultured  society  circles,  and  have  the  warm  regard  of  a 
very  extensive  circle  of  friends.  In  Yonkers  not  to  know  the  subject  of  this 
review  is  to  argue  one's  self  unknown.  In  all  his  social  and  business  rela- 
tions he  is  popular,  and  in  private  life  he  has  gained  that  warm  personal- 
regard  which  arises  from  kindness  and  geniality,  deference  for  the  opinions  of 
others  and  true  nobility  of  character. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  549 


HON.   DAVID  W.   TRAVIS. 


In  the  last  half  of  the  present  century  the  lawyer  has  been  a  pre-eminent 
factor  in  all  affairs  of  private  concern  and  national  importance.  He  has  been 
depended  upon  to  conserve  the  best  and  permanent  interests  of  the  whole 
people  and  is  a  recognized  power  in  all  the  avenues  of  life.  He  stands  as  the 
protector  of  the  rights  and  liberties  of  his  fellow  men  and  is  the  representa- 
tive of  a  profession  whose  followers,  if  they  would  gain  honor,  fame  and  suc- 
cess, must  be  men  of  merit  and  ability.  Such  a  one  is  Mr.  Travis,  who  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  October,  1847,  and  has  since  successfully  engaged  in 
practice  in  Peekskill,  New  York. 

He  was  born  January  15,  1824,  a  son  of  David  E.  Travis,  and  grandson 
of  Elijah  Travis.  His  parents  were  highly  respected  farming  people,  and 
on  the  paternal  side  he  is  of  English  origin  and  on  the  maternal  side  of  Ger- 
man descent.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Peekskill,  graduating  at  the 
Peekskill  Military  Academy.  He  married  Miss  Catherine  M.  Hunt,  and,  to 
them  was  born  a  daughter,  now  the  wife  of  William  H.  Craig,  who  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  health  department  of  Peekskill. 

In  early  life  Mr.  Travis  was  a  Whig,  but  on  the  organization  of  the 
Republican  party  he  joined  its  ranks,  and  has  followed  its  fortunes  ever  since. 
In  1854  he  was  called  upon  to  fill  his  first  office,  that  of  justice  of  the  police 
courts,  but  since  then  he  has  often  been  called  into  public  life,  and  for  three 
terms,  in  1867,  1879  and  1880,  he  most  ably  represented  his  district  in  the 
state  legislature.  He  has  served  on  several  commissions  of  appraisal  in  rela- 
tion to  the  New  York  city  water-works,  and  has  always  been  found  true  and 
faithful  to  every  trust  reposed  in  him,  whether  in  public  or  private  life.  As 
a  lawyer  he  has  won  the  admiration  and  confidence  of  all,  for  truth  and  right 
are  the  only  motives  which  sway  him,  and  his  career  has  been  most  progress- 
ive and  honorable.  Many  important  trusts  have  been  committed  to  his 
care,  and  the  confidence,  reposed  in  him  has  never  been  betrayed.  Socially 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 


JAMES  A.  TUTTLE. 

This  gentleman  is  one  of  the  highly  respected  citizens  of  Katonah,  West- 
chester county.  New  York,  and  belongs  to  that  honored  class  of  brave  men 
who  rendered  valiant  service  to  the  Union  in  the  dark  hour  of  its  peril  when 
secession  attempted  to  overthrow  the  republic  that  our  forefathers  had  estab- 
lished. Mr.  Tuttle  was  born  September  11,  1842,  and  is  a  son  of  Hiram 
Tuttle,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  born  in  181 1.  Hiram  Tuttle  was  a  shoema- 
ker by  trade,  and  when  a  young  man  he  married  Miss  Julia  Field,  by  whom 


550  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

he  had  six  children,  three  of  whom  are  living,— Mary  Marshall,  of  Bridge- 
port, Connecticut;  Emily,  of  Peekskill,  New  York;  and  James  A.,  whose 
name  begins  this  review.  Those  who  have  passed  away  are  Elizabeth,  Addie 
Garrison  and  Charles,  the  last  named    having  been    accidentally  killed  by 

railroad  cars. 

James  A.  Tuttle  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Westchester 
county,  and  was  still  in  his  'teens  when  the  trouble  between  the  north  and 
south  precipitated  the  country  into  civil  war.  A  spirit  of  patriotism,  how- 
ever, was  at  once  awakened  within  him,  and  on  the  i  ith  of  September,  1862, 
he  celebrated  his  twentieth  birthday  by  enlisting  as  a  member  of  Company  F, 
Second  New  York  Cavalry.  He  was  in  the  service  for  three  years,  valiantly 
defending  the  old  flag  and  the  cause  it  represented.  During  the  early  part 
of  his  army  life  he  was  stationed  with  his  command  along  the  Potomac.  Later 
on,  during  the  Dahlgren  raid  in  Virginia,  he  was  taken  prisoner  and  held  as 
such  three  months.  His  whole  service  was  marked  by  that  promptness  and 
fidelity  which  characterize  the  true  soldier,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his  term 
he  received  an  honorable  discharge. 

Returning  home  at  the  close  of  hostilities,  Mr.  Tuttle  devoted  his  ener- 
gies to  slate-roofing,  which  business  he  still  follows. 

He  was  married  December  6,  1871,  to  Miss  Matilda  Brown,  a  daughter 
of  Isaac  G.  and  Catharine  Brown,  of  Yorktown,  and  was  one  of  a  family  of 
six  children,  namely:  Phoebe  Jane,  widow  of  A.  Gray  and  a  resident  of  Sing 
Sing,  New  York;  William  Henry,  also  of  Smg  Sing;  Lewis,  a  resident  of 
Tuckahoe,  New  York;  Margaret  Reynolds,  who  makes  her  home  in  Croton, 
New  York;  Mrs.  Tuttle,  of  Katonah;  and  Antoinette  Taylor,  of  Newark, 
New  Jersey.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tuttle  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  of  Katonah,  and  he  belongs  to  McKeel  Post,  No.  120,  G. 
A.  R. ,  of  which  he  formerly  served  as  commander,  while  at  the  present  writ- 
ing he  is  filling  the  office  of  adjutant. 


CHARLES  G.   MARTIN. 


The  subject  of  this  memoir  was  one  of  the  honored  citizens  of  Mount 
Vernon,  Westchester  county,  and  had  been  identified  with  the  industrial  life 
of  the  American  metropolis  for  a  long  term  of  years,  winning  success  through 
his  personal  efforts  and  guiding  his  life  according  to  the  maximum  principles 
of  honor  and  integrity.  He  attained  a  venerable  age,  passing  away  in  the 
fullness  of  years  and  honors.  Endowed  with  the  most  sterling  character, 
energetic,  independent  and  vigorous  in  his  intellectuality,  he  won  for  himself 
a  place  in  connection  with  the  valuable  activities  of  life,  and  it  is  certainly 
incumbent  that  in  this  compilation  be  included  a  brief  sketch   of  his  career. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  551 

Mr.  Martin  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  having  been  born  in  the  historic 
old  town  of  Perth  Amboy,  on  the  26th  of  August,  18 14,  the  son  of  Ephraim 
and  Ehzabeth  (Andrews)  Martin.  The  father  served  in  the  war  of  18 12,  and 
his  death  occurred  about  the  year  1825.  He  left  his  widow  with  four  small 
children  and  with  but  a  modest  patrimony.  Mrs.  Martin  was  a  native  of 
New  Jersey,  while  the  Martins  were  numbered  among  the  pioneer  families 
of  Westchester  county,  New  York,  whither  they  came  from  the  state  first 
mentioned.  Daniel'  Martin,  grandfather  of  the  immediate  subject  of  this 
memoir,  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  and  his  death  occurred  in  1790.  He 
married  Mary  Applegate,  who  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  being  a  representa- 
tive of  an  old  English  family.  Isaac  Andrews,  grandfather  of  our  subject  on 
the  maternal  side,  was  an  active  participant  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  in 
which  he  did  valiant  service  for  the  cause  of  the  colonies.  He  died  about 
the  year  1828,  and  his  wife  survived  him  about  three  years. 

Charles  G.  Martin  passed  his  boyhood  in  his  native  town,  Perth  Amboy, 
attending  the  district  school  until  his  fourteenth  year,  when  he  laid  aside  his 
text-books  and  initiated  his  practical  business  career  by  learning  the  trade  of 
a  locksmith,  making  combination  locks  for  banks,  being  in  the  employ  of  Dr. 
Solomon  Andrews,  of  Perth  Amboy.  After  completing  a  thorough  appren- 
ticeship at  his  trade  Mr.  Martin  went  to  New  York  city,  where  he  secured 
a  position  with  the  firm  of  Day  &  Newell,  manufacturers  of  locks,  remain- 
ing in  their  establishment  for  several  years.  Thereafter  he  went  to  Har- 
per's Ferry,  West  Virginia,  where  he'  was  engaged  in  the  manufacturing 
of  locks  and  keys  for  a  period  of  eighteen  months.  At  the  expiration  of 
this  time  he  joined  a  party  of  New  Jersey  men  who  made  the  voyage  to 
California  on  their  own  ship,  sailing  around  Cape  Horn  and  landing  at  San 
Francisco,  where  Mr.  Martin  remained  nearly  two  years. 

Returning  to  New  York  city,  he  entered  into  a  partnership  relation 
with  Silas  H.  Herring,  under  the  firm  name  of  Herring  &  Martin,  and  they 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  safe  locks  on  a  quite  extensive  scale,  grad- 
ually building  up  an  excellent  business  by  reason  of  the  superiority  of  their 
products  and  the  honorable  methods  according  to  which  they  conducted 
operations.  The  association  continued  for  a  number  of  years,  but  the  busi- 
ness was  finally  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  firm  of  Mackerell  &  Richard- 
son, with  whose  establishment  Mr.  Martin  continued  to  be  identified  for 
a  period  of  ten  years.  In  1864  he  again  engaged  in  business  on  his  own 
responsibility,  establishing  foundry  and  finishing  works,  which  he  conducted 
with  marked  success  until  1877,  when  he  turned  the  business  over  to  his 
son,  Benajah  M.,  who  continued  the  industry  on  South  Fifth  avenue,  New 
York  city. 

Being  well  advanced  in  years,  Mr.  Martin  retired  from  active  business 


552  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

pursuits,  and  in  his  attractive  tiome  at  Mount  Vernon,  this  county,  was 
enabled  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  a  long  life  of  faithful  toil  and  endeavor.  He 
was  a  man  of  the  most  unbending  integrity  in  all  the  relations  of  life, 
endowed  with  strong  intellectuality,  and  was  known  and  honored  as  a 
valued  citizen.  In  his  political  adherency  he  was  stanchly  allied  with  the 
Republican  party,  taking  not  a  little  interest  in  local  political  matters,  but  never 
seeking  or  holding  official  preferment.  He  lived  to  attain  the  venerable  age 
of  eighty-four  years  and  four  months,  his  long  and  eminently  useful  life  draw- 
ing to  its  close  on  the  21st  of  December,  1898. 

On  the  1 2th  of  June,  1845,  ^^-  Martin  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Catherine  Hampton  Molleson,  of  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  two  daughters  and  one  son,  namely:  Benajah  M., 
who  succeeded  his  father  in  business;  Mary  Andrews,  who  is  the  widow  of 
Rev.  Wellington  White,  a  missionary  for  ten  years  in  Canton,  China;  and 
Anna  Molleson,  who  is  the  wife  of  Rev.  Henry  F.  McEwen,  D.  D.,  pastor 
for  eleven  years  (i 887-1 898)  of  the  old  Presbyterian  church  at  the  corner  of 
Second  avenue  and  Fourteenth  street.  New  York  city.  Mr.  Martin  was  a 
devoted  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  with  which  his  widow  is  also 
identified.  Since  the  death  of  her  honored  hgsband  she  has  made  her  home 
with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  McEwen,  at  Amsterdam,  New  York.  It  is  worthy 
of  note  in  the  connection  that  John  Hampton,  a  lineal  ancestor  of  Mrs. 
Martin,  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  British  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  being 
confined  in  the  famous  old  sugar  house  in  New  York  city  for  a  period  of 
thirteen  months.      His  death  occurred  in  1822. 


JOHN  B.  BONNETT. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  been  one  of  the  prominent  business  men 
of  Hastings,  Westchester  county,  for  the  last  score  of  years.  He  is  a  native 
of  New  York  city,  and  a  son  gf  James  and  Emily  Barberie  Bonnett.  The 
Bonnett  family  is  of  French  ancestry,  and  records  in  possession  of  its  mem- 
bers prove  that  the  first  emigrant  from  the  fatherland  to  these  shores  was 
David  Bonnett.  He  is  the  forefather  of  all  those  who  to-day  in  America 
bear  -the  name  of  Bonnett.  David  Bonnett  was  a  silk-weaver  in  the  village 
of  Thorigne,  France.  Two  hundred  years  ago  he  was  pursuing  his  daily 
vocation,  little  thinking  that  his  life  was  soon  to  be  disturbed,  and  that  the 
rest  of  his  days  were  to  be  spent  in  an  environment  far  away  from  that  in 
which  he  then  moved.  But  David  Bonnett  and  his  wife  were  Huguenots, 
and  this  simple  statement  in  itself  is  sufficient  to  account  for  any  persecutions 
which  might  have  followed.  The  rules  by  which  this  sect  governed  their 
lives  were  few  and  simple,  but  they  adhered  to  them  with  all  the  tenacity  of 


'^^ 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  558 

their  natures.  They  beheved  that  the  trust  which  they  possessed  was  the 
eternal  trust  of  God;  and  wedded  to  that  belief  was  the  determination  to 
hold  to  the  trust  and  to  live  it  out  in  life,  it  mattered  not  though  the  bitter- 
est persecution,  yea,  even  death  itself,  should  be  the  consequence.  The 
fact  that  they  were  held  in  disrepute  by  the  people  only  strengthened  their 
faith. 

But  at  this  juncture  organized  hostility  began  against  the  Huguenots  of 
the  village  of  Thorigne.  Troops  were  sent  to  convert  them  at  the  point  of 
the  sword.  When  the  report  of  their  approach  reached  the  ears  of  Mon- 
sieur Bonnett,  he  hastily  decided  to  evade,  if  possible,  the  approaching  doom 
by  flight.  He  had  heard  of  a  land  across  the  sea  where  men  could  worship 
God  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  own  consciences,  and  he  trusted  that 
somehow  a  way  might  be  open  by  which  he  might  transport  his  family 
thither.  The  task  lying  immediately  at  hand,  however,  was  to  escape  from 
the  village.  Loading  a  donkey  cart  with  vegetables,  as  if  going  to  market, 
he  and  his  wife  hid  their  children  in  the  midst  of  the  load,  cautioning  them 
to  preserve  strict  silence,  it  mattered  not  what  might  happen.  Mr.  Bonnett 
with  a  basket  of  turnips,  walked,  his  wife  following  and  driving  the  donkey. 
Outside  the  village  they  met  the  troopers,  who  stopped  them  and  made  an 
examination  of  their  goods,  and  concluding  that  they  were  only  market 
people  let  them  pass  on.  But  in  order  to  be  sure  that  they  were  not  escaping 
Huguenots,  and  that  no  human  beings  were  hidden  in  the  cart,  one  of  the 
soldiers  ran  his  sword  through  the  very  sacks  in  which  the  children  were  con- 
cealed. The  little  ones,  true  to  the  command  of  the  parents,  let  no  outcry 
escape  them,  but  it  was  afterward  found  that  their  boy  of  five  years  had  a 
sword  thrust  through  his  thigh.  He  suffered  the  intense  pain  with  perfect 
silence,  and  when  uncovered  the  brave  child's  first  words  were:  "  I  did  not 
speak:  did  I,  mother.'" 

The  family  succeeded  in  working  their  way  to  America,  and  the  boy 
who  saved  his  own  life  and  the  lives  of  his  parents  by  his  silence,  grew  into 
manhood,  and  became  the  progenitor  of  the  American  line  of  the  family. 

The  paternal  grandparents  of  our  subject  were:  Samuel  and  Elizabeth 
Woolley,  of  Long  Island.  Their  son,  James  Bonnett,  Jr.,  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in  New  Rochelle  in  1816,  and  arriving  at  the  age  of  manhood 
became  a  merchant  in  New  York  city,  moving  later  to  New  Rochelle,  where 
he  continued  the  business  for  a  number  of  years.  He  married  Emily  Bar- 
berie,  daughter  of  John  Barberie,  Esq.,  who  also  was  of  Huguenot  descent, 
his  antecedents  coming  to  America  during  the  religious  persecutions  in  France 
and  taking  up  their  abodes  in  New  York  city  in  1681.  Mrs.  Bonnett  died  in 
i860,  and  was  buried  in  Greenwood  cemetery  on  Long  Island,  while  Mr. 
Bonnett  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  at  Upper  New  Rochelle.     Two  chil- 


554  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

dren  have  survived  them:  John  B.,  whose  name  begins  this  sketch,  and 
Ehzabeth  A. ,  widow  of  Harvey  Bryant,  late  of  New  Jersey. 

John  B.  Bonnett  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  youth  in  the  village  of  New 
Rochelle,  and  received  such  meager  educational  advantages  as  were  then 
afforded  by  the  common  schools.  At  an  early  age  he  left  school  and  entered 
the  employ  of  George  W.  L.  Underbill,  a  merchant  in  New  Rochelle.  Later 
he  connected  himself  with  William  S.  Hunt,  who  was  an  extensive  builder 
in  New  York  city.  Subsequently  he  entered  upon  an  independent  business 
career  in  the 'produce  business  on  Ninth  avenue,  New  York  city,  removing 
thence  to  enlarged  quarters  at  Tenth  avenue  and  Thirtieth  street,  in  which 
latter  place  he  continued  until  the  year  1878.  Then,  disposing  of  his  busi- 
ness there,  he  moved  to  Hastings,  where  he  started  in  a  general  merchandise 
store.  In  connection  with  that  he  conducts  a  lumber,  coal  and  wood  yard, 
and  carries  a  full  line  of  masons'  materials.  He  has  built  up  a  large,  profit- 
able and  constantly  increasing  business,  and  is  one  of  the  leading  represent- 
atives of  commercial  interest  in  the  town. 

In  1870  Mr.  Bonnett  married  Miss  Hannah  Munson,  daughter  of  the 
late  George  Munson,  Esq.,  of  Hastings,  a  very  prominent  and  highly  respected 
citizen.  Four  children  have  been  born  of  this  union:  Hamilton  Woolley, 
George  Munson,  John  Van  Tuyl  and  Frederick  Melville. 

Mr.  Bonnett  is  a  member  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  congregation  of  Hast- 
ings, and  contributes  most  liberally  to  its  support.  He  has  been  closely 
identified  with  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  village  during  these  past 
twenty  years,  and  few  projects  are  put  forward  looking  toward  the  improve- 
ment of  the  village,  without  securing  his  advice.  He  is  at  present  a  member 
of  the  village  board  of  health,  and  is  treasurer  of  the  board  of  education,  hav- 
ing served  in  both  capacities  for  several  consecutive  terms.  He  is  ever  ready 
to  give  moral  and  financial  support  to  every  movement  which  is  calculated  to 
advance  the  interests  of  the  place  and  its  people.  Mr.  Bennett's  exemplary 
character,  his  business  ability,  unpretentious  manner  and  genial  disposition 
have  made  him  a  great  power  in  molding  the  life  of  the  community,  and  have 
won  for  him  a  host  of  friends,  all  of  whom  regard  him  with  the  deepest 
respect  and  affection. 

AMOS  ACKERMAN. 

Mr.  Ackerman,  who  is  one  of  the  prominent  and  influential  citizens  of 
Mount  Pleasant  township,  was  born  near  the  place  where  he  now  lives, 
November  18,  1823,  and  throughout  life  has  been  identified  with  the  agri- 
cultural interests  of  that  section.  He  now  owns  and  occupies  what  years 
ago  was  known  as  the  old  homestead  of  Major  William  Van  Tassell,  an 
officer  of  the  war  of  18 12  and  later  a  prominent   Democratic   politician,  who 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  555- 

knew  by  sight  every  voter  in  the  county.      He    was    a  gentleman  of  the  old 
school  and  a  soldier  of  fortune. 

James   Ackerman,    our  subject's  father,   was  of  Holland  descent,  and 

was   born  in  this  state,  being  a  son  of  David  and (Tillison)  Ackerman, 

both  of  whom  died  in  the  neighborhood  of  our  subject's  home.  Here  James 
grew  to  manhood  and  learned  the  weaver's  trade,  at  which  he  did  a  good 
business  for  many  years,  but  later  in  life  devoted  his  attention  to  farming. 
He  married  Catherine  Van  Tassell,  daughter  of  Abraham  Van  Tassell,  one 
of  the  seven  men  who  captured  Major  Andre.  He  was  a  large,  muscular 
man  of  great  strength  and  endurance,  and  was  Washington  Irving's  hero, 
Brom  Bones,  in  the  Legends  of  Sleepy  Hollow.  He  married  Elizabeth  Yerks, 
the  daughter  of  a  large  land-owner  in  Westchester  county.  In  the  family 
of  James  and  Catherine  Ackerman  were  eight  children,  namely:  Hiram;. 
Berlin;  Mrs.  Eliza  Requaw;  Leonard;  Elliott  V.;  Amos,  our  subject;  Mrs. 
Jane  Requaw;  and  Mrs.  Mary  De  Revere.  Our  subject  is  the  only  one  now 
living.  The  father  was  a  strong  Democrat  in  politics,  an  admirer  of  Andrew 
Jackson,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  church.  He  died  at 
the  age  of  seventy-four  years,  and  his  wife,  who  was  a  most  estimable 
woman  and  a  member  of  the  same  church,  departed  this  life  at  the  age  of 
eighty-three. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Amos  Ackerman  pursued  his  studies  in  the 
district  schools  of  the  neighborhood,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  began  learn- 
ing the  blacksmith's  trade  with  his  brother  Berlin,  remaining  with  him  for 
four  years,  or  until  the  brother's  death,  in  1844.  He  then  took  charge  of 
the  shop  and  engaged  in  business  on  his  own  account  at  East  View  and  later 
at  Switching's  Corner,  which  half  a  century  ago  did  an  extensive  business  and 
was  headquarters  for  politicians,  stockmen,  drovers  and  others  for  miles 
around. 

In  October,  1 846,  Mr.  Ackerman  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Bird,  who  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  Mount  Pleasant  township,, 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Secor)  Bird,  and  to  whom  was  born  one  child, 
— Mrs.  Emma  Hunter,  of  Pleasantville,  this  county,  who  has  four  children*, 
Leonard,  Kate,  Leman  and  Amos.  Mrs.  Ackerman  died  in  1852,  and  subse- 
quently our  subject  was  again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Miss  Mary 
Angevine,  a  native  of  Mount  Pleasant  township,  and  a  daughter  of  Goris  and 
Catherine  Angevine.  One  daughter  also  blessed  this  union,  Addie,  now  the 
wife  of  Colonel  Ellsworth  Van  Tassell,  by  whom  she  has  two  children:  Mary 
Leta  and  Ethel.  The  Colonel  was  born  here  in  1862,  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  this  county,  and  is  a  son  of  Sylvester  Van  Tassell,  and  grandson  of 
Major  Wiliam  Van  Tassell,  previously  mentioned.  After  a  happy  married 
life  of  several  years,  Mrs.  Ackerman  was  called  to  her  final  rest  May  i,  1890.. 


556  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

She  was  a  loving  wife  and  affectionate  mother,  and  an  earnest  Christian 
woman,  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  at  Pleasantville,  to 
which  our  subject  also  belongs.  Politically  he  is  identified  with  the  Repub- 
lican party  and  is  a  supporter  of  all  measures  calculated  to  advance  the  moral, 
educational  or  material  welfare  of  his  town  or  county.  He  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  most  useful  and  valued  citizens  of  his  community  and  is  very  popu- 
lar socially. 

HON.  JOHN  Q.  UNDERHILL. 

If  kindness  and  geniality  count  for  aught  in  this  world,  if  a  life  above 
reproach,  both  in  the  discharge  of  public  and  private  duties,  is  deserving  of 
commendation,  then  John  Quincy  Underbill  has  certainly  merited  the  high 
regard  which  is  uniformly  accorded  him.  In  business  he  is  the  soul  of  honor 
and  integrity,  and  from  a  humble  clerkship  has  worked  his  way  upward  until 
he  now  has  an  important  official  connection  with  one  of  the  leading  insurance 
■companies  of  the  country.  As  a  leader  in  Democratic  circles  he  has  also 
won  prestige  and  has  been  honored  with  high  political  preferment. 

Mr.  Underbill  was  born  in  New  Rochelle,  in  1848,  and  is  a  representa- 
tive in  the  eighth  generation  of  a  family  that  is  descended  from  Captain  John 
Underbill,  who  fought  with  Captain  Mason  against  the  Indians  in  New  Eng- 
land. He  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  1630  and  about  1660  made  a  permanent 
location  on  Long  Island.  His  first  wife  was  a  sister  of  Governor  Winthrop, 
of  the  Massachusetts  colony.  Members  of  the  Underbill  family,  descend- 
ants of  Captain  John  Underbill,  removed  from  Long  Island  to  Westchester 
county,  New  York,  establishing  here  what  is  now  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
honored  families  of  the  locality.  Peter  Underbill  served  his  .country  in  the 
war  of  1 81 2  and  rose  to  the  rank  of  colonel.  John  Bonnett  Underbill, 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  a  native  of  Westchester  county,  where  also 
occurred  the  birth  of  George  Washington  Lafayette  Underbill,  father  of  him 
whose  name  introduces  this  review.  He  married  Julia  Ann  Barker,  also  a 
native  of  Westchester  county  and  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Barker.  They  are 
still  residents  of  New  Rochelle,  and  for  many  years  the  father  was  actively 
connected  with  the  business  interests  of  the  city.  In  early  life  he  was  a 
farmer  but  afterward  engaged  in  merchandising,  which  he  carried  on  until 
his  retirement  from  active  business  life. 

In  the  district  schools  near  his  home  John  Q.  Underbill  acquired  his 
early  education,  and  later  attended  the  Free  Academy,  now  the  College  of 
New  York  City.  In  1869  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Westchester  Fire 
Insurance  Company,  in  a  clerical  capacity,  and  has  since  retained  his  con- 
nection with  that  corporation,  steadily  advancing  step  by  step  as  he  has 
•demonstrated  his  mastery  of  the  business  and  his  ability  to  handle  success- 


MaJjMamJ^ 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  557: 

fully  its  interests.  In  1879  he  was  made  secretary  of  the  company,  and  in 
1892  was  elected  both  secretary  and  vice-president,  but  in  that  year  resigned 
the  former  position  in  order  to  assume  the  duties  of  treasurer  in  addition  to 
those  of  vice-president.  Such  is  his  present  connection  with  the  company 
with  which  he  has  been  associated  for  thirty  years.  Largely  owing  to  his- 
able  and  sagacious  management,  a  most  gratifying  success  has  attended  this 
enterprise  during  his  connection  therewith,  and  the  assets  have  increased 
from  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  two  million  five  hundred  thousand 
dollars  during  that  period.  Mr.  Underbill  is  a  man  of  keen  discrimination 
and  unabating  perseverance,  and  with  a  judgment  rarely  in  error  he  formu- 
lates his  plans  and  carries  them  forward  to  a  prosperous  conclusion.  In 
connection  with  others,  he  aided  in  the  organization  of  the  New  Rochelle 
Bank,  in  1887,  and  has  since  been  a  member  of  its  directorate.  He  is  a  man 
of  unswerving  loyalty  to  any  interest  entrusted  to  his  care,  and  his  honesty 
in  business  matters  is  proverbial. 

But  it  is  not  alone  in  the  business  world  that  Mr.  Underbill  is  well, 
known.  He  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  essential  factors  in  the  public  life  of 
New  Rochelle,  was  three  times  elected  president  of  the  village,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  town  board  for  a  number  of  years.  For  ten  years  he  had  the 
general  management  of  the  construction  of  the  sewers  of  the  village,  and 
introduced  a  system  which  adds  much  to  the  healthfulness  of  New  Rochelle, 
and  is  unsurpassed  in  any  town  of  its  size  in  the  Empire  state.  While  serv- 
ing as  trustee  and  having  charge  of  the  sewer  system,  more  than  a  million 
dollars  of  public  money  passed  through  his  hands,  every  cent  of  which  was- 
faithfully  accounted  for.  He  drafted  a  bill,  which  was  passed  by  both  houses 
of  the  lagislature,  making  New  Rochelle  a  city,  and  though  he  met  the  most 
stubborn  opposition  on  the  part  of  a  number  of  citizens,  he  persevered  in  the 
pursuit  of  this  commendable  purpose  until  his  object  was  accomplished.  He 
is  eminently  popular,  a  fact  which  was  shown  in  1898,  when  he  was  elected 
on  the  Democratic  ticket  to  the  fifty-sixth  congress  from  the  sixteenth  con- 
gressional district  of  New  York  by  a  plurality  of  sixty-three  hundred  and  fifty, 
over  James  Irving  Burns,  the  Republican  nominee.  During  the  two  preced- 
ing terms  the  district  had  been  represented  by  a  Republican,  and  his 
immediate  predecessor,  Wilham  L.  Ward,  had  been  elected  in  1896  by  a 
plurality  of  seventy-two  hundred,  a  fact  which  shows  that  he  increased  the 
Democratic  vote  about  fourteen  thousand.  He  was  the  only  candidate  on 
the  Democratic  ticket  elected  in  Westchester  county,  in  the  fall  of  1898,  and' 
it  will  thus  be  seen  that  he  wields  a  mighty  influence  in  political  affairs  in  the 
county,  and,  indeed,  throughout  the  entire  congressional  district. 

In  1872  Mr.   Underbill  wedded  Miss  Minnie  B.  Price,  of  Sag  Harbor, 
Long  Island,  daughter  of  James  H.  Price.     They  now  have  a  daughter,  Anna. 


558  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

B.,  an  accomplished  young  lady  and  a  graduate  of  the  woman's  law  class  of 
the  University  Law  School,  of  New  York  city.  They  have  a  pleasant  home, 
in  the  midst  of  attractive  surroundings,  and  in  social  circles  their  position  is 
enviable.  Mr.  Underhill  is  a  member  of  Huguenot  Lodge,  No.  46,  F.  &  A. 
M.  His  cordiality  and  general  worth  make  him  a  favorite  among  his  friends, 
while  his  strong  mentality  and  marked  executive  ability  have  gained  him 
leadership  in  business  circles  and  in  public  life. 


STEPHEN  G.   SEYMOUR. 

No  man  in  Westchester  county  is  probably  more  worthy  of  representa- 
tion in  a  work  of  this  kind  than  he  whose  name  stands  at  the  head  of  this 
sketch.  He  has  been  identified  with  its  business  interests  for  many  years, 
as  a  dealer  in  general  merchandise,  flour  and  feed  at  Lewisboro,  has  served 
as  postmaster  at  that  place  since  first  appointed  by  President  Andrew  John- 
son, and  for  the  long  period  of  twenty-seven  years  has  also  filled  the  office 
of  justice  of  the  peace. 

Mr.  Seymour  was  born  in  New  Canaan,  Connecticut,  September  14, 
1835,  and  on  the  paternal  side  is  of  English  descent.  His  grandfather,  Sam- 
uel Seymour,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  his  father,  Rufus  S.  Seymour, 
was  engaged  in  shoemaking  and  later  was  a  farmer.  The  latter  married  Miss 
Sally  Keeler,  the  daughter  of  Thaddeus  Keeler,  who  died  in  Potter  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  both  are  now  deceased,  the  father  having  died  at  the  age 
of  seventy-six  years.  They  were  faithful  members  of  the  Methodist  church, 
and  in  his  political  views  Mr.  Seymour  was  a  pronounced  Democrat. 

Stephen  Seymour  is  indebted  to  the  public  schools  for  his  edtication, 
and  when  a  young  man  he  successfully  engaged  in  teaching  school  for  some 
time.  In  i860  was  celebrated  his  marriage  to  Miss  Frances  D.  Lockwood, 
who  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  this  county,  and  is  one  of  the  four 
children  born  to  Rufus  and  Sally  (Raymond)  Lockwood,  the  others  being 
John,  Samuel  and  Joseph  W.,  of  Lewisboro  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sey- 
mour have  two  children:  Urban  G.,  who  married  Miss  Cora  Crawford;  and 
Ada  Frances,  a  resident  of  Lewisboro,  but  attended  school  in  New  Jersey. 
The  wife  and  mother  is  an  earnest  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  is 
held  in  high  esteem  for  her  many  excellencies  of  character. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Seymour  has  been  unwavering  in  his  support  of  the 
Democratic  party  and  takes  a  lively  interest  iri  political  issues,  on  which  he 
is  well  informed.  Over  his  life  record  there  falls  no  shadow  of  wrong,  his 
public  services  has  been  most  exemplary,  and  his  private  life  has  been  marked 
by  the  utmost  fidelity  to  duty.  He  therefore  merits  and  receives  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  the  entire  community. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  559 


LEON  E.  PEELER,   M.   D. 

Leon  E.  Peeler,  M.  D.,  a  promiilent  young  physician  and  surgeon  of 
Harrison,  Westchester  county,  was  born  January  7,  1871,  in  Sodus  Center, 
Wayne  county.  New  York,  and  is  a  representative  of  a  well-known  family  of 
that  part  of  the  state.  His  parents  being  George  U.  and  Augusta  (Ireland) 
Peeler,  he  is  a  descendant  on  the  maternal  side  of  Martha  Biddle  and 
Lorenzo  Ireland,  his  great-grandparents,  Martha  Biddle  having  been  a  sister 
of  the  well-known  Nicholas  Biddle,  who  was  president  of  the  United  States 
Bank  at  Philadelphia  until  it  was  dissolved,  during  President  Jackson's 
administration. 

The  Doctor  received  his  preliminary  education  at  the  high  school  at 
Sodus,  New  York,  and  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  in  1889,  under  the 
direction  of  Dr.  H.  F.  Seaman,  one  of  the  oldest  practicing  physicians  of 
Wayne  county.  In  the  autumn  of  1892  he  entered  the  medical  department 
of  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York,  where  he  was  graduated  in  the 
class  of  1895  with  honor,  winning  by  competitive  examination  after  gradua- 
tion a  position  as  interne  to  Bellevue  Hospital.  In  July  of  the  same  year  he 
located  at  Harrison,  where  he  soon  succeeded  in  establishing  a  good  practice, 
which  he  still  enjoys. 

In  September,  1896,  Dr.  Peeler  married  Miss  Katherine  Seaman,  a 
■daughter  of  Benjamin  B.  Seaman  and  a  niece  of  our  subject's  former  pre- 
•ceptor.  As  a  family  they  are  actively  identified  with  the  interests  of  Har- 
rison, and  are  regarded  as  prominent  residents  by  the  members  of  that  grow- 
ing town. 

CHARLES  H.  ABBOTT. 

For  a  score  of  years  this  sterling  old  citizen  of  Westchester  county  has 
held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  in  Pound  Ridge  township.  He  comes 
from  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  this  locality,  and  was  born  on  the  old 
homestead,  which  he  now  owns  and  carries  on.  On  the  paternal  side  he  is 
of  English  descent,  as  his  name  implies,  and  his  ancestors  were  numbered 
among  the  early  settlers  of  Connecticut.  His  grandfather,  Ebenezer  Abbott, 
was  a  native  of  the  town  of  Wilton,  Connecticut,  and  both  he  and  his  wife, 
whose  girlhood  name  was  Molly  Adams,  lived  for  some  years  in  Lewisboro 
township,  this  county,  and  there  passed  to  their  last  reward.  Their  son, 
Moses  A.,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  review,  was  born  in  Wilton,  Cpn- 
necticut,  in  1795,  and  died,  when  in  his  ninety-seventh  year,  in  1891.  His 
boyhood  and  youth  were  spent  in  this  county,  and  for  many  years,  when  he 
Avas  in  his  prime,  he  was  one  of  the  most  influential  citizens  of  his  home 
neighborhood.     He  chose  for  his  wife:  Miss  Phcebe  Lynes,  a  native  of  Lewis- 


560  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

boro  township,  a  daughter  of  Holly  Lynes,  who  was  of  French  extraction. 
She  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years,  a  faithful  member  of  the  Methodist 
church,  to  which  her  husband  also  belonged.  He  was  a  Whig  and  Repub- 
hcan  in  his  political  views,  and  enjoyed  the  high  regard  of  all  who  knew  him. 

Charles  H.  Abbott,  whose  birth  occurred  June  3,  1839,  is  one  of  nine 
children,  five  of  whom  are  deceased,  namely:  William,  Elizabeth,  Ebenezer, 
Ebenezer  (the  second)  and  Betsey  J.  Those  of  the  family  who  survive  are 
Cordelia,  widow  of  Thomas  L.  Downs,  of  Montour,  Tama  county,  Iowa; 
Emily,  wife  of  Aaron  Schofield,  of  Pound  Ridge  township;  JuHa,  wife  of 
Enoch  Ambler,  of  Garwin,  Tama  county,  Iowa;  and  Charles  H. 

In  his  youth  Charles  H.  Abbott  received  an  excellent  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  this  county,  and  by  special  study  and  "  burning  of  the 
midnight  oil "  prepared  himself  for  the  work  of  teaching.  Having  success- 
fully passed  the  required  examinations  he  was  granted  a  teacher's  certificate 
and  for  the  following  decade  gave  his  attention  to  educational  work.  Since 
the  expiration  of  that  period  he  has  devoted  himself  exclusively  to  agriculture 
and  has  cultivated  the  old  homestead  of  seventy  acres.  The  place  is  well 
improved  with  substantial  buildings,  a  good  orchard  and  fences,  and  is  one 
of  the  best  in  the  township.  The  year  1864  Mr.  Abbott  spent  in  Tama  county, 
Iowa,  where  he  had  some  idea  of  permanently  locating,  but  he  changed  his 
plans  and  ultimately  returned  to  the  place  made  dear  to  him  by  the  associa- 
tions of  childhood.  In  1893  he  went  on  an  extended  visit  to  Tama  county, 
and,  though  for  some  reasons  he  believes  it  might  have  been  better  for  him 
to  have  remained  in  the  west  after  the  close  of  the  civil  war,  he  does  not 
regret  his  decision  to  live  and  die  in  the  home  of  his  father. 

In  1883  Mr.  Abbott  married  Miss  Louisa  Newman,  a  daughter  of  David 
Newman, of  Brooklyn,  New  York.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Abbott  are  active  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  take  an  intelligent  interest  in  all 
movements  calculated  to  accrue  to  the  lasting  benefit  of  their  fellow-citizens. 
They  give  their  earnest  support  to  various  benevolent  and  religious  enter- 
prises, and  are  always  to  be  safely  relied  upon  to  use  their  influence  and 
means  in  the  upholding  of  righteous  law  and  good  government.  In  his  polit- 
ical affiliations  Mr.  Abbott  is  a  Republican. 


FRANCIS  D.    BROWN. 


This  honored  and  highly  esteemed  citizen  of  North  Salem  township, 
Westchester  county,  was  born  July  12,  1822,  on  the  farm  where  he  still  con- 
tinues to  reside.  His  great-grandfather,  Samuel  Brown,  was  born  in  1734, 
in  Stamford,  England,  and  later  emigrated  to  America,  locating  in  Stamford, 
Connecticut.     In  1772  he  came  to  Delancy  township,  now  known   as  North, 


T"n&Lfcwis  FijJjlisiivn.g,   Co. 


J^ 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  561 

Salem,  in  Westchester  county.  New  York,  where  his  death  occurred,  in 
1815.  His  wife  Susan,  who  was  born  March  28,  1737,  Hved  to  the  extreme 
old  age  of  one  hundred  and  three  years.  Their  children  were  Rebecca, 
Mrs.  Abby  Palmer,  Susanna,  Nathan,  Prudence,  Samuel  W. ,  Mrs.  McGil- 
lavry  and  Mrs.  Lamb. 

Nathan  Brown,  the  grandfather  of  Francis  D.,iwas  born  in  Connecticut 
February  20,  1767,  and  in  early  manhood  married  Miss  Lobdell,  by  whom 
he  had  four  children, — Mary,  Thomas  (father  of  our  subject),  Abby  and  Ann. 
For  his  second  wife  he  married  a  Miss  Allen,  and  they  had  one  child,  whom 
they  named  Susan.      Nathan  Brown  and  both  his  wives  died  in  this  county. 

Thomas  Brown,  our  subject's  father,  was  born  and  reared  on  the  old 
homestead  where  his  son  is  now  living,  and  throughout  life  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  there.  He  was  one  of  the  leading  and  prominent  citizens 
of  his  community,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  an  active  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  died  June  24,  1857,  a-t  the  age  of  sixty- 
three  years.  In  early  life  he  married  Miss  Sally  Williams,  of  Bedford,  a 
daughter  of  James  and  Polly  Williams,  who  were  related  to  the  Lounsberrys 
of  this  county.  Mrs.  Brown  departed  this  life  November  4,  1891,  at  the 
age  of  ninety-eight  years.  She  was  a  devout  Christian,  kind  and  charitable 
at  all  times;  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  she  did  more  work  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  than  any  other  woman  of  the  congregation  to  which  she 
belonged.  In  her  family  were  one  son  (our  subject)  and  four  daughters,  all 
residents  of  North  Salem  township,  the  daughters  being:  Susan,  the  wife  of 
Clark  Lobdell;  Mary,  widow  of  Hiram  Reynolds;  Chloe,  the  widow  of 
Charles  Bloomer;  and  Clarissa,  the  wife  of  Martin  Todd. 

On  the  home  farm  Mr.  Brown  early  became  familiar  with  every  depart- 
ment of  farm  work,  and  he  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  thorough  and 
skillful  agriculturists  of  his  community.  His  literary  education  was  obtained 
in  the  public  schools  and  the  old  Salem  Academy.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
seven  he  married  Miss  Almira  P.  Frost,  of  the  same  town,  a  daughter  of 
Stedwell  and  Eliza  (Fowler)  Frost,  both  of  whom  died  in  that  township. 
Mrs.  Brown  departed  this  life  in  1865,  leaving  two  children:  Elbert  D.,  and 
Mary  E. ,  now  the  wife  of  James  Colwell,  of  New  York  city,  by  whom  she 
had  one  son, — Francis,  deceased,  and  a  daughter,  Mary  F.  Elbert  D.  grew 
to  manhood  upon  the  home  farm  and  February  20,  1878,  married  Miss 
Frances  I.  Stevens,  of  Delaware  county.  New  York,  a  daughter  of  James  W. 
and  Catherine  (Christie)  Stevens.  They  have  had  four  children,  two  of 
whom,  Almira  C.  and  Francis  D.,  Jr.,  are  living.  Our  subject  was  again 
married  in  1868,  his  second  union  being  with  Miss  Jane  E.  Landrine,  of 
Tarrytown,  this  county.      She  died  November  25,  1892,  leaving  no  children. 

In  his  political  predilections  Mr.  Brown  has   always  been  a  Democrat, 

36 


562  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

and  for  the  long  period  of  twenty-four  years  he  most  efficiently  served  his  fel- 
low citizens  in  the  capacity  of  road  commissioner.  He  has  always  taken  a 
most  active  part  in  church  and  Sunday-school  work,  as  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  being  for  half  a  century  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday-school,  and  he  is  therefore  well  known  throughout  the  country  in  this 
part  of  New  York  state  for  his  efficiency  in  that  line.  Although  seventy-six 
years  of  age  he  is  still  well  preserved,  for  nature  deals  kindly  with  the  man 
who  abuses  not  her  laws,  and  he  has  an  extensive  circle  of  friends  and 
acquaintances  who  esteem  him  highly  for  his  genuine  worth. 


HENRY  F.   PATCH,   M.   D. 

The  genial  gentleman  whose  name  adorns  this  page.  Dr.  Henry  F. 
Patch,  of  Chappaqua,  New  York,  is  one  of  the  best  known  physicians  and 
surgeons  of  Westchester  county,  where  he  has  been  engaged  in  practice  for 
a  period  of  twenty- four  years,  he  having  located  here  in  1874. 

Dr.  Patch  was  born  December  7,  1839,  in  Francestown,  New  Hamp- 
shire, a  son  of  William  and  Sallie  (Stevans)  Patch,  representatives  of  families 
that  were  counted  among  the  early  settlers  of  New  England.  Dr.  Patch's 
education,  begun  in  the  public  schools,  was  carried  forward  at  Francestown 
Academy  and  completed  at  Dartmouth  Medical  College,  Hanover,  New  Hamp- 
shire, where  he  graduated  with  the  class  of  1866.  In  that  year  he  opened 
an  office  in  Harlin,  and  in  1874  became  identified  with  Chappaqua,  where  he 
soon  built  up  and  has  retained  a  large  and  lucrative  practice. 

The  year  of  his  location  in  New  York,  Dr.  Patch  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Leonora  Bull,  a  native  of  New  York  city,  and  their  home  circle  in- 
cludes four  children, — Florence  E.,  Lillie  L. ,  Daisy  M.  and  Harry  F.  Their 
charming  abode  is  a  historic  place,  it  being  the  old  Greeley  homestead,  where 
Horace  Greeley  produced  one  of  his  best  works. 

In  social  and  fraternal  cirtles  the  Doctor  has  a  wide  popularity.  He  is 
a  member  of  several  medical  societies,  among,  them  the  Westchester  Medical 
Society;  also  he  is  a  member  of  Greeley  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  of  Chappaqua, 
of  which  he  is  the  secretary. 


ROBERT  T.  EMMET. 


The  name  of  Emmet  is  one  which  has  been  long  and  conspicuously 
identified  with  the  history  of  the  Empire  state,  and  is  one  in  which  each  suc- 
cessive generation  has  produced  men  of  honor  and  sterling  worth, — men  who 
have  honored  and  been  honored  by  the  state  which  gave  them  birth  and 
which  has  figured  as  the  field  of  their  respective  endeavors  in  connection  with 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  £63 

the  material  activities  which  have  ever  conserved  the  progress  and  prosperity 
of  the  Union.  From  the  Emerald  Isle  came  the  first  American  ancestor, 
Addis  Emmet,  who  crossed  the  Atlantic  about  1804,  locating  in  New  York 
city.  He  soon  won  prestige  as  a  prominent  lawyer  and  was  elected  attorney 
general  of  the  state.  His  son,  Robert  Emmet,  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  and  came  to  the  United  States  during  his  child- 
hood. Entering  the  legal  profession,,  he  was  called  to  the  important  office  of 
corporation  counsel  of  the  city  of  New  York,  and  also  filled  the  position  of 
judge  of  the  common-pleas  court.  His  death  occurred  in  New  Rochelle,  in 
1873.  Several  representatives  of  the  family  have  gained  marked  distinction 
at  the  bar,  their  eminent  ability  reflecting  credit  upon  the  profession  with 
which  they  were  allied. 

William  J.  Emmet,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  New  York  city, 
where  he  acquired  his  education  and  was  reared  to  manhood.  Entering  upon 
his  business  career,  he  was  for  a  number  of  years  successfully  engaged  in  the 
sugar-refining  business  in  the  metropolis.  He  married  Julia  C.  Pierson,  and 
they  are  now  honored  residents  of  New  Rochelle.  Mrs.  Emmet  is  a  native 
of  Ramapo,  Rockland  county,  New  York,  and  her  grandfather,  Josiah  Pier- 
son,  was  the  founder  of  the  East  Ramapo  Iron  &  Foundry  Works.  He  was 
there  extensively  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  iron  and  at  the  same  time 
operated  an  extensive  factory. 

Robert  T.  Emmet  was  born  in  New  York  city  in  1854.  He  studied  in  a 
private  boarding  school,  after  which  he  entered  West  Point  Military  Academy, 
on  the  Hudson,  pursuing  the  four-years  course  of  that  institution.  He  was 
graduated  in  1877,  and  continuing  in  the  military  service  of  his  country  as  a 
member  of  the  Ninth  Regiment  of  United  States  Regular  Cavalry,  he  went  to 
the  frontier  to  aid  in  the  suppression  of  the  Indians,  who  frequently  menaced 
the  property  and  lives  of  the  pioneers  on  the  western  borders.  He  served  in 
that  cavalry  command  for  fourteen  years  and  for  four  years  was  on  the  staff 
of  General  Pope,  after  which,  with  his  regiment,  he  was  stationed  at  Fort 
Niobrara,  Nebraska. 

Resigning  his  commission  in  1891,  Mr.  Emmet  returned  to  New  Rochelle, 
New  York,  where  he  has  since  resided,  giving  his  attention  to  civil  engineer- 
ing. On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  with  Spain,  he  volunteered  and  was 
commissioned  major  in  the  First  Infantry  New  York  Volunteers,  and  served 
for  some  months  in  the  Hawaiian  islands  with  that  regiment.  In  1883  Mr. 
Emmet  was  married  to  Miss  Helena  V.  C.  Phelps,  only  daughter  of  Henry 
D.  and  Kate  Phelps.  Her  father  belongs  to  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
honored  families  of  Westchester  county,  and  has  long  been  a  valued  resident 
of  New  Rochelle.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Emmet  have  three  children,  two  sons  and 
a  daughter, — Robert  M.,  Herman  L.  R.  and  Anita  H.     Mr.  Emmet  belongs 


564  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

to  the  University  Club,  of  New  York  city,  and  the  New  York  Yacht  Club- 
While  campaigning  in  the  west  he  acquired  a  fund  of  interesting  and  oft- 
times  amusing  reminiscences,  which  enrich  his  conversation  and,  together 
with  his  genial  disposition,  unfailing  courtesy  and  uniform  kindness,  render 
him  a  social  favorite. 

CHARLES  G.  BANKS. 

Charles  G.  Banks  is  ex-register  of  Westchester  county,  ex-president  of 
New  Rochelle,  having  held  the  office  for  three  terms  in  succession,  and 
ex-police  justice  and  corporation  counsel  of  New.  Rochelle,  New  York.  An 
enumeration  of  riiose  men  of  the  present  generation  who  have  won  honor 
and  public  recognition  for  themselves,  and  at  the  same  time  have  honored 
the  state  to  which  they  belong,  would  be  incomplete  were  there  failure  to 
make  prominent  reference  to  the  one  whose  name  initiates  this  paragraph. 
He  holds  distinctive  precedence  as  a  safe  and  careful  lawyer,  and  has  been 
and  is  pre-eminently  a  man  of  affairs,  wielding  a  wide  influence.  A  strong 
mentality,  an  invincible  courage  and  a  most  determined  individuality,  have  sO' 
entered  into  his  make-up  as  to  render  him  a  natural  leader  of  men  and  a 
director  of  opinion.  For  twenty  years  he  has  been  an  important  figure  in 
legal  and  commercial  circles  in  New  Rochelle,  and  is  a  representative  of  one 
of  the  old  families  of  the  county. 

In  Middle  Patten,  in  the  town  of  North  Castle,  Westchester  county, 
Charles  G.  Banks,  was  born  May  26,  1847,  his  parents  being  Captain  James 
P.  and  Thurza  A.  (Palmer)  Banks.  His  paternal  grandparents  were  James 
and  Sarah  (Lane)  Banks,  and  his  maternal  grandparents  were  Allen  and 
Sarah  (Smith)  Palmer.  In  his  father's  family  were  four  children,  his  brother 
being  William  L.  Banks,  of  White  Plains,  and  his  sisters  are  Clarissa  A. 
Banks  and  Mrs.  Lizetta  P.  Hegeman,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York.  For  several 
generations  the  representatives  of  the  Banks  and  Palmer  families  had  been 
industrious  and  respected  farming  people  of  the  town  of  North  Castle  and 
the  central  part  of  Westchester  county. 

When  seventeen  years  of  age,  Charles  G.  Banks  left  the  farm,  his  father 
having  died  some  twelve  years  before,  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world,  and 
in  1865  accepted  the  position  of  clerk  in  the  LeRoy  Place  Hotel,  at  New 
Rochelle,  under  his  uncle,  George  W.  Banks.  He  was  afterward  made 
manager,  and  then  became  proprietor  of  this  once  well-known  summer  resort, 
which  was  destroyed  by  fire  some  years  ago.  Although  he  met  with  success 
in  this  undertaking,  he  did  not  find  it  altogether  to  his  taste,  and  in  1872 
he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Charles  H.  Roosevelt,  of  New 
Rochelle,  New  York.  In  1873  he  entered  the  New  York  University,  ani 
was  graduated  in  the  law  department  of  that  institution  in  the  class  of  1875. 


m^tA 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  565 

He  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  at  a  special  term  of  the  supreme  court  in  Pough- 
keepsie,  the  same  year,  and  in  July,  1875,  became  the  senior  member  of  the 
well-known  law  firm  of  Banks  &  Keogh,  his  partner  being  Judge  Martin  J. 
Keogh,  of  the  second  department. 

A  short  time  before  his  graduation  Mr.  Banks  was  elected  upon  the 
Republican  ticket  to  the  office  of  police  justice  of  New  Rochelle  for  a  term 
of  four  years,  and  was  subsequently  chosen  corporation  counsel  of  that  city, 
which  office  he  acceptably  filled  for  several  years.  In  1877  he  became  the 
Republican  nominee  for  registrar  of  Westchester  county,  against  Stephen  S. 
Marshall,  the  Democratic  nominee,  and,  after  a  very  active  and  hotly  con- 
tested campaign,  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  seventeen  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-seven, although  the  county  went  Democratic  by  over  a  thousand  major- 
ity. This  was  certainly  a  high  tribute  to  his  personal  popularity,  and  was 
an  indication  of  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  his  fellow-townsmen  and 
friends  throughout  the  county.  He  was  again  a  candidate,  in  the  fall  of 
1880,  but  was  defeated,  by  a  few  votes,  with  the  remainder  of  the  ticket. 
For  a  period  of  six  successive  years  (three  terms)  he  was  president  of  New 
Rochelle,  his  first  opponent  being  the  late  James  W.  Todd;  his  second,  Hon. 
John  Q.  Underbill,  and  third,  Charles  H.  Roosevelt,  and  his  administration 
of  the  public  affairs  was  most  progressive,  business-like  and  commendable. 
His  fidelity  in  the  discharge  of  every  duty  devolving  upon  him  in  connection 
with  public  office  is  above  question,  and  his  service  has  ever  materially 
advanced  the  interests  of  the  community  he  represents.  For  ten  years  he 
was  an  active  member  of  the  fire  department,  and  within  that  period  was 
both  foreman  and  assistant  foreman  of  his  company. 

Mr.  Banks'  operations  in  real  estate  have  been  extensive  and  profitable. 
He  owns  much  valuable  property  in  New  Rochelle  and  elsewhere  in  West- 
chester county  and  has  erected  many  buildings  in  the  city,  including  the 
United  States  post-office  building,  a  three-story  brick  structure,  one  hundred 
and  ten  feet  long,  at  the  corner  of  Huguenot  and  Bridge  streets.  New  Ro- 
chelle. It  is  in  this  building  that  his  law  offices  are  located.  In  his  practice 
he  has  steadily  risen  to  an  eminent  position  at  the  Westchester  county  bar, 
and  he  has  a  large  and  lucrative  clientage.  He  has  largely  mastered  the 
science  of  jurisprudence,  and  prides  himself  on  a  thorough  preparation  of 
every  case  committed  to  his  care,  which  enables  him  to  meet  fairly  any  con- 
tingency that  may  arise,  and  his  opponent  often  finds  great  difficulty  in  over- 
throwing his  masterful  logic.  Mr.  Banks  is  a  member  of  the  State  Bar  Asso- 
ciation, the  Westchester  County  Bar  Association,  the  Republican  Club,  the 
Board  of  Trade  of  New  Rochelle,  and  the  Exempt  Firemen's  Association. 

Mr.  Banks  married  Miss  Fannie  E.  Morgan,  only  daughter  of  Charles 
V.  and  Susan  M.  (Badeau)  Morgan,  of  the  town  of  East  Chester.      For  the 


566  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

past  ten  years  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Banks  have  spent  the  winters  in  sunny  Florida, 
where  he  has  ample  opportunity  to  indulge  his  taste  for  tarpon  fishing.  He 
finds  another  source  of  recreation  in  driving,  and  is  a  lover  of  a  good  horse. 
He  has  owned  fully  a  dozen  with  a  record  of  2:20  or  better,  and  his  stables 
are  never  without  some  valuable  specimens  of  the  noble  steed.  He  is  also 
the  owner  and  proprietor  of  Fashion  Stock  Farm,  which  is  credited  in  the 
horse  world  with  choice  specimens  of  equine  stock.  His  life  is  practically 
that  of  a  self-made  man.  Through  his  own  efforts  he  has  risen  to  a  position 
of  professional  prominence  and  commercial  leadership,  and  at  the  same  time 
has  gained  the  highest  regard  of  an  ever  broadening  circle  of  acquaintances 
and  friends.  Mr.  Banks  enjoyed  the  friendship  and  confidence  of  the  late 
Hon.  William  H.  Robertson,  General  James  W.  Husted  and  Judge  Silas 
D.  Gifford,  all  of  whom  were  elected  to  office  upon  the  Republican  ticket 
with  him  upon  one  occasion. 

Among  the  important  criminal  cases  that  Mr.  Banks  was  connected  with 
early  in  practice,  and  successfully  helped  to  defend,  was  that  of  Richard 
Hanna,  indicted  and  tried  for  his  life,  for  the  murder  of  Thomas  White,  a 
hotel-keeper,  at  New  Rochelle,  and  also  the  case  of  Frederick  Eveson  (col- 
ored), indicted  and  tried  for  his  life  for  the  murder  of  a  white  girl  in  the  out- 
skirts of  Ne\^  Rochelle.  Eveson,  like  Hanna,  was  acquitted.  Another 
case  was  that  of  Levison,  the  jeweler,  indicted  for  grand  larceny,  charged 
with  extracting  a  three-hundred-dollar  diamond  from  a  ring  belonging  to  a 
Miss  Emmet,  and  substituting  an  imitation  in  its  place.  The  defence  was 
an  ingenious  one  and  the  jeweler  was  acquitted. 

Among  some  of  the  important  civil  cases  that  Mr.  Banks  has  been  con- 
nected with  in  the  past  might  be  mentioned  the  action  of  the  receiver  of  the 
New  Rochelle  Savings  Bank  versus  William  R.  Humphrey,  secretary;  George 
J.  Penfield,  president;  Thomas  L.  Disbrow,  treasurer;  and  George  Wilson 
and  others,  trustees.  This  action  was  brought  to  recover  upward  of  twenty 
thousand  dollars,  embezzled  by  the  secretary,  Humphrey.  Mr.  Banks 
appeared  for  trustee  Wilson  in  the  case,  but  really  in  fact  was  in  the  interest 
of  the  president,  Mr.  Penfield,  and  the  treasurer,  Mr.  Disbrow.  Through  a 
clever  arrangement  of  Mr.  Wilson's  counsel,  his  client  paid  a  nominal  sum 
for  a  general  release,  which  also  released  the  joint  wrong-doers,  Messrs. 
Penfield  and  Disbrow.  Another  important  case  was  that  relating  to  the  pro- 
bate of  the  will  of  the  late  James  Morgan.  Mr.  Banks  had  drawn  the  will, 
which  related  to  real  and  personal  estate  of  the  value  of  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars  or  more.  The  probate  of  the  same  was  contested  from  the  surro- 
gate's court  to  the  court  of  appeals,  but  was  sustained  in  every  court. 

Mr.  Banks  is  and  has  been  executor  and  trustee  of  many  large  estates, 
among  which  might  be  mentioned  that  of'  the  late  Hon.  Albert  Badeau  and 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  567 

Henry  L.  Dean;  he  is  also  counsel  for  many  large  estates  and  has  the  hand- 
ling of  large  amounts  of  trust  funds  and  securities.  It  is  estimated  that  dur- 
ing the  past  fifteen  years  more  than  five  millions  of  dollars  have  been  per- 
sonally invested  by  him  for  his  clients,  in  county  bonds  and  mortgages. 

Mr.  Banks  politically  is  a  Republican,  but  has  many  warm  Democratic 
friends  and  supporters,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  in  the  dozen  times  or 
more  that  he  has  been  a  candidate  upon  the  Republican  ticket  he  has  always 
succeeded  in  getting  a  handsome  majority  in  the  city  and  town  in  w.hich  he 
resides.  Mr.  Banks  is  a  hard  worker,  does  his  own  thinking  and  is  noted  for 
his  staying  qualities. 

WILLIAM  VAN  DUZER  LAWRENCE. 

The  well  known  founder  of  Lawrence  Park,  Bronxville,  New  York,  is 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  purchased  about  one  hundred  acres  of  the 
old  Prescott  estate,  ten  years  ago,  and  transformed  it  into  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  and  attractive  suburban  parks  near  New  York  city.  The  grounds 
are  well  fitted  by  nature  for  the  purpose  for  which  they  are  now  used,  being 
considered  the  highest  and  most  picturesque  point  of  land  in  all  this  section 
of  the  country.  The  park  is  a  natural  forest  of  great  trees  and  has  been 
laid  out  in  irregular  lots,  with  roads  winding  in  and  out  instead  of  being  on 
regular  lines  and  blocks  as  is  usually  the  plan  in  laying  out  suburban  resi- 
dence districts.  These  lots  are  sold  under  certain  restrictions,  and  they 
have  been  taken  largely  by  the  artistic  and  literary  class  of  citizens,  and 
Lawrence  Park  has  become  quite  celebrated  for  its  colony  of  noted  people 
who  have  purchased  cottages- there. 

In  1897  Mr.  Lawrence  erected  the  Gramatan  Inn  on  the  top  of  Sunset 
hill  near  the  Bronxville  station.  It  contains  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
rooms,  has  wide  porches  and  verandas,  making  it  a  most  beautiful  place  in 
summer  and  winter  for  visitors  and  guests.  It  is  a  fine  Colonial  structure, 
with  all  modern  improvements,  including  electric  lights  and  bells,  and 
steam  heat,  and  from  its  verandas  one  has  a  fine  view,  extending  from  the 
Hudson  river  to  the  Sound.  In  the  winter  these  porches  are  inclosed  with 
glass,  forming  sun  parlors,  and  the  Inn  is  open  all  the  year  round.  One  of 
its  most  desirable  features  is  its  close  proximity  to  the  city,  being  only  a 
twenty-six  minutes'  run  on  the  New  York  &  Harlem  Railroad  from  the  Grand 
Central  station,  Forty-second  street,  New  York,  so  that  the  busy  man,  who 
is  obliged  to  remain  in  the  city  during  the  day,  can  here  find  cool,  bracing 
country  air,  where  he  can  enjoy  the  society  of  his  family  and  friends  in  the 
evening.  In  the  construction  of  the  hotel  no  convenience  has  been  omitted 
that  would  add  to  the  happiness  and  comfort  of  the  guests. 

Mr.  Lawrence  is  a  native  of  New  York  city,  where  he  was  reared  and 


568  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

educated,  is  a  cultured  and  pleasant  gentleman  and  thorough  business  man. 
He  has  not  developed  Lawrence  Park  as  a  money-making  scheme,  as  is 
usually  the  case  in  suburban  park  affairs,  but  his  methods  have  been  quite 
original  and  new,  and  therefore  successful. 


NORMAN  SECOR,  Jr. 


Ad  historic  old  family  of  Westchester  county  is  the  one  of  v/hich  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  is  a  worthy  scion.  The  Secors  were  among  the  French 
Huguenots  who,  fleeing  from  the  persecutions  with  which  they  were  beset  in 
their  own  loved  country,  came  to  the  hospitable  shores  of  the  New  World, 
where  they  might  have  "  freedom  to  worship  God  "  according  to  the  dictates 
of  their  hearts.  This  little  band  of  refugees  landed  at  New  Rochelle,  West- 
chester county,  in  1681,  and  here  they  founded  homes  and  became  a  thriving, 
prosperous  little  colony,  respected  by  all  with  whom  they  had  dealings. 

The  great-grandfather  of  our  subject  belonged  to  this  brave  band,  and 
his  son  Thomas,  the  next  in  the  line  of  descent,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity 
of  East  Chester,  this  county,  where  he  spent  his  entire  life.  His  son  Nor- 
man, the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  the  town  of  East  Chester,  Sep- 
tember 9,  1818,  and  after  having  spent  a  long,  useful  life  as  a  tiller  of  the 
soil  is  now  enjoying  a  justly  earned  rest  from  labor.  He  has  passed  the 
eightieth  milestone  on  life's  journey,  and  for  one  of  his  years  has  remarkably 
good  health.  In  his  early  manhood  he  chose  for  his  wife  Mary  Ann  Purtell, 
whose  birth  occurred  in  New  Rochelle,  in  1830,  her  parents  being  James  and 
Anna  Purtell,  of  that  locality.      Mrs.  Mary  Secor  is  also  living. 

Norman  Secor,  Jr.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Greenburg,  Westchester 
county,  January  4,  1852,  and  from  his  earliest  recollection  has  been  occupied 
in  the  varied  duties  of  farm  life.  Under  his  father's  tutelage  he  acquired 
practical  knowledge  of  agriculture,  and  in  the  schools  of  the  neighborhood 
he  received  a  liberal  business  education.  Later  he  was  a  student  in  the 
Ardsley  school  for  a  few  months,  and  by  private  study  and  reading  he  became 
the  well  informed  man  that  he  is  to-day.  Having  given  his  father  his  assist- 
ance until  he  reached  his  majority  the  young  man  then  embarked  in  business 
on  his  own  account,  and  from  that  time  until  the  present  has  carried  on  a 
farm,  keeping  from  eighteen  to  twenty  cows  for  dairy  purposes,  and  in  addi- 
tion to  this  he  handles  annually  about  five  thousand  tons  of  ice.  His  good 
business  methods  and  industry  have  wrought  out  success  for  him,  and  he  is 
now  well-to-do  and  prosperous.  He  owns  considerable  property,  and  from 
time  to  time  has  made  profitable  investments. 

It  is  in  his  happy  home  circle  that  Mr.  Secor  finds  his  chief  pleasure  in 
life,  and   there,  surrounded  by  his   family,  the  cares  of  the  busy  world  seem 


^e^^^^^^^^ 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  569 

far  away.  It  was  in  1872  that  he  was  united  in  wedlock  with  Mary  Ann 
Lander,  eldest  daughter  of  Henry  S.  and  Ann  (Williams)  Lander.  Her 
father,  a  native  of  England,  is  engaged  in  farming  and  is  also  interested  in 
the  manufacture  and  sale  of  a  fertilizer.  Like  her  husband,  Mrs.  Secor  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Greenburg,  and  from  childhood  they  were  friends  and 
companions.  Four  sons  and  three  daughters  blessed  their  home,  namely: 
Henry  R.,  Alice  M.,  Harriet  W. ,  Mabel  B.,  Arthur  W.,  Ethie  J.  and  Jerome. 
Henry  is  married  and  has  three  sons,  Thomas  M.,  Russell  H.  and  Thornton, 
and  they  have  nine  grand  and  great-grandparents  living !  Alice,  the  eldest 
daughter,  is  the  wife  of  Fred  H.  Wille,  of  Ardsley,  New  York,  and  they  have 
one  son,  Kenneth  R. ,  who  has  eight  grand  and  great -grandparents  Hving. 
The  family  is  one  noted  for  longevity. 

Though  he  is  a  stalwart  Republican  and  never  neglects  his  duty  as  a 
voter,  Mr.  Secor  has  steadfastly  refrained  from  entering  politics,  refusing  to 
accept  public  office.  His  time  is  given  to  his  family,  his  friends  and  his 
business,  and  in  all  life's  relations  he  is  accorded  and  justly  merits  the  high 
regard  of  his  many  friends. 


JAMES  A.   GRENZEBACH. 

Westchester  county  has  been  the  home  and  scene  of  labor  of  many  men 
who  have  not  only  led  lives  that  should  serve  as  an  example  to  those  who 
come  after  them  but  have  also  been  of  important  service  to  their  town  and 
county  through  various  avenues  of  usefulness.  Among  them  must  be  named 
James  A.  Grenzebach,  who  died  of  heart  failure  September  2,  1892,  after  a 
Hfe  of  industry,  and  one  which  was  rich  in  those  rare  possessions  which  only 
a  high  character  can  give. 

He  was  born  in  New  York  city,  in  1837,  and  spent  his  boyhood  in  Pel- 
ham,  Westchester  county,  receiving  a  good  public-school  and  academic  edu- 
cation. His  father  was  a  farmer  and  a  worthy  citizen  of  his  community. 
Our  subject  began  his  business  career  as  a  clerk  for  Harper  Brothers,  of  New 
York  city,  and  in  1867  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Maxjield  &  Company, 
dealers  in  and  importers  of  fruit,  doing  business  at  the  corner  of  Washington 
and  Fulton  streets.  New  York.  That  partnership  was  dissolved  in  1876  and 
he  came  to  New  Rochelle,  Westchester  county,  where  the  firm  of  Grenze- 
bach &  Carpenter  was  formed,  our  subject  having  purchased  the  interest  of 
Charles  Hoffmeister  in  the  lumber  and  coal  business.  The  firm  soon  won 
an  enviable  reputation  and  were  wonderfully  successful.  The  January  before 
his  death  Mr.  Grenzebach  practically  retired  from  the  company,  though  he 
was  still  retained  as  a  special  partner,  and  the  name  was  changed  to  Car- 
penter, Todd  &  Company 


570  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

He  married  Miss  Annie  E.  Carpenter,  a  sister  of  his  partner,  Robert  P. 
Carpenter,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  four  children,  one  son  and  three 
daughters,  who  yet  survive  him.  All  are  unmarried  with  the  exception  of 
Mrs.  Harry  H.  Todd. 

Mr.  Grenzebach  was  one  of  the  first  members  of  the  Enterprise  Hook 
and  Ladder  Company;  also  belonged  to  the  Yacht  Club  and  the  Maenerchor; 
and  was  an  honorary  member  of  the  Rowing  Club.  In  politics  he  was  an 
ardent  Democrat,  and  he  was  often  called  upon  to  fill  public  positions  of 
honor  and  trust,  being  trustee  of  the  village  in  1879,  1880,  1881,  1883,  1884, 
1888  and  1889.  He  was  also  village  treasurer  in  1889  and  again  in  1892, 
being  unanimously  elected  in  the  spring  of  the  latter  year.  For  fourteen 
consecutive  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  education,  and  spent 
much  time  and  energy  as  a  member  of  the  committee  on  buildings  and 
grounds.  He  was  always  willing  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  any  good  cause, 
or  to  sympathize  with  and  aid  those  in  distress.  Although  quick  to  resent 
an  injury,  he  was  always  willing  to  forgive,  and  was  deeply  attached  to  his 
home  and  family.  The  large  attendance  at  his  funeral  testified  to  the  esteem 
in  which  he  was  held  by  the  entire  community,  and  his  remains  were  laid  to 
rest  with  honor  in  the  Woodlawn  cemetery.  Generous  and  sympathetic,  he 
made  friends  easily,  and  he  justly  deserved  the  high  regard  in  which  he  was 
uniformly  held. 

JAMES  W.    TODD. 

The  late  James  W.  Todd  was  for  many  years  one  of  the  most  prominent 
and  influential  citizens  of  New  Rochelle,  New  York,  always  taking  a  leading 
and  active  part  in  public  affairs,  and  in  his  death  the  community  realized 
that  it  had  lost  one  of  its  most  useful  and  valuable  citizens.  He  was  born 
December  6,  1837,  and  began  his  business  career  as  a  boy  in  the  employ  of 
Berrian  &  Company,  then  the  leading  dealers  in  house  furnishings  in  New 
York  city,  and  he  remained  with  the  firm  some  years,  advancing  step  by  step 
until  he  became  manager.  After  his  marriage  he  embarked  in  the  jewelry 
business  with  his_  father-in-law,  George  W.  Piatt,  at  the  corner  of  Maiden 
Lane  and  Liberty  Place,  New  York  city,  and  for  many  years  he  successfully 
engaged  in  that  business,  giving  it  up  on  account  of  ill  health.  Thinking  that 
country  air  would  benefit  him,  he  came  to  New  Rochelle  and  opened  an  office 
as  a  real-estate  and  insurance  agent.  However,  he  continued  to  visit  the 
city  every  other  day  to  attend  to  an  optical  business  which  he  had  estab- 
lished, and  in  which  he  retained  an  interest  as  long  as  his  health  and  strength 
would  permit.  His  death  occurred  August  4,  1893,  and  his  remains  were 
laid  to  rest  in  Woodlawn  cemetery. 

Being  a  public-spirited  and  progressive  man,  Mr.  Todd  wielded  a  wide 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

influence  in  the  village,  and  his  record  is  a  monument  of  good  citizensl 
For  twenty-three  years  he  was  one  of  the  most  efficient  and  untjring  worl 
on  the  board  of  education,  during  most  of  that  time  serving  as  either 
president  or  secretary,  and  both  positions  he  filled  with  marked  abil 
though  he  received  no  compensation  for  his  valuable  services.  For  four  ye 
he  was  also  secretary  of  the  sewer  commission  and  took  a  deep  interest 
pride  in  its  work.  In  1875  ^-^d  1876  he  was  the  efficient  and  popular  pr 
dent  of  the  village  of  New  Rochelle. 

Mr.  Todd  was  a  hard  worker  and  successful  business  man,  and  for  sc 
time  was  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Bank  of  New  Rochelle.  On  his  remc 
to  that  place  he  purchased  a  beautiful  site  on  Long  Island  Sound,  and  th 
erected  a  most  comfortable  home,  where  he  continued  to  live  until  cal 
from  this  life.  After  his  health  began  to  fail  he  made  frequent  trips 
Florida,  where  he  and  several  of  his  New  Rochelle  friends  had  invested 
orange  plantations.  He  was  a  prominent  member  of  Huguenot  Lodge,  F 
A.  M. ;  Huguenot  Council,  Royal  Arcanum,  and  formerly  was  an  honored  : 
active  member  of  the  Enterprise  Truck  Company.  He  was  a  noted  mai 
man,  and  often  carried  away  the  first  prize  at  contests,  including  those  h 
at  Wimbleton  and  Creedmoor.  During  his  busy  and  useful  career  he  ne 
neglected  the  holier  duties  of  life,  but  was  an  active  an  influential  membei 
the  Salem  Baptist  church,  at  New  Rochelle,  and  served  as  its  treasurer, 
was  a  man  of  whom  it  may  truly  be  said  that  the  world  was  better  for 
having  lived. 

Mr.  Todd  married  Miss  Mary  N.  Piatt,  and  at  his  death  left  a  widow  £ 
five  sons:  William,  the  eldest,  is  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business  in  W 
San  Francisco,  California;  Walter  Herbert  is  an  assayer;  Harry  H.  is  tre 
urer  of  the  New  Rochelle  Coal  &  Lumber  Company;  George  is  a  c 
engineer  ;  and  Irving  is  a  clerk  in  the  Bank  of  New  Rochelle. 


REV.   JOHN  A.   KELLNER. 

The  rector  of  St.  Gabriel's  Catholic  church,  of  New  Rochelle,  the  R 
John  A.  Kellner,  was  born  in  New  York  and  acquired  his  preliminary  edu 
tion  in  the  parochical  schools,  after  which  he  attended  St.  Francis  Xa\ 
College,  of  his  native  city,  in  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1875.  AJ 
acting  as  assistant  for  several  years  in  the  parishes  of  St.  Nicholas,  Secc 
street,  and  St.  Joseph,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  street,*he  was  selec 
by  Archbishop  Corrigan  to  form  the  chancel  choir  and  take  charge  of 
musical  part  of  the  services  of  St.  Patrick's  Cathederal.  There  he  labo 
for  six  years,  with  remarkable  success,  and  at  the  close  of  that  period  he  \ 
selected  to  take  charge  of  St.  Gabriel's  church,  whither  he  came  in  1893. 


572  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

has  since  lived  and  labored  in  New  Rochelle,  and  his  efforts  have  been  most 
effective.  When  he  assumed  charge  there  was  a  membership  of  three  hun- 
dred families,  representing  a  parish  of  two  thousand  souls. 

The  beautiful  church  edifice  and  rectory  were  the  gift  of  the  Iselin  fam- 
ily, and  occupy  one  of  the  most  desirable  sites  in  New  Rochelle.  The  church 
is  constructed  in  the  Roman-Norman  style  of  blue  granite  and  is  one  hundred 
feet  long,  eighty  feet  wide  and  seventy  feet  high.  A  square  Norman  tower 
containing  a  clock  and  peal  of  bells  rises  many  feet  above  the  highest  point 
•of  the  roof,  which  is  covered  by  beautiful  dark  red  Venetian  tiles.  The 
work  of  the  church  in  its  various  departments  is  in  a  flourishing  condition. 
There  is  a  prosperous  Sunday-school,  also  an  excellent  parochial  school,  in 
charge  of  the  sisters,  and  it  was  through  the  instrumentality  of  Father 
Kellner  that  the  Adrian  Iselin  gymnasium  was  donated  to  the  sisters  school. 
It  is  a  beautiful  brick  structure,  appropriately  equipped  in  keeping  with  the 
purpose  for  which  it  was  designed.  A  handsome  residence,  also  the  gift  of 
Mrs.  Iselin,  has  recently  been  erected  for  the  sisters  of  charity. 

Father  Kellner  not  only  organized  his  own  parish  and  made  it  an  excel- 
lent working  one,  but  also  extended  his  field  of  labors  in  1896  by  erecting  and 
equipping  St.  Catherine's  church,  of  Pelham,  making  it  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  little  churches  outside  the  metropolis.  He  is  a  man  of  scholarly 
attainments,  of  broard,  general  information,  as  well  as  versed  extensively  in 
church  lore,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  respected  and  beloved  priests 
in  the  archdiocese  of  New  York.  He  gives  his  labors  untiringely  to  the 
advancement  of  the  cause  of  the  church,  and  his  efforts  have  been  followed 
by  excellent  results. 

CHARLES  FRYER. 
One  of  Westchester  county's  most  distinguished  and  honored  citizens, 
and  an  author  of  considerable  prominence,  is  Charles  Pryer,  who  resided 
upon  the  old  Pryer  homestead  in  the  town  of  New  Rochelle,  where  he  was 
born  in  1851.  His  father,  John  Pryer,  was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York,  in 
1802,  and  after  completing  his  education  in  the  schools  of  the  metropolis,  he 
began  his  business  career  there  as  a  merchant.  In  1839  he  removed,  with 
his  family,  to  the  town  of  Mamaroneck,  Westchester  county,  where  he  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  but  soon  afterward  disposed  of 
that  property.  His  death  occurred  April  18,  1875,  and  his  wife,  who  sur- 
vived him.for  some  years,  departed  this  life  June  9,  1887,  at  the  age  of  seven- 
ty-five. They  were  the  parents  of  five  children  who  reached  years  of  matur- 
ity, but  George  is  now  deceased,  and  William  E.  died  September  24,  1888, 
in  New  Rochelle,  where  he  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine 
■irom  1867  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  having  a  large  practice;  John  T. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  578 

resides  in  New  York  city;  Adeline  C.  makes  tier  home  in  New  Rochelle;  and 
Ciiarles  completes  the  family. 

On  both  the  paternal  and  maternal  sides  our  subject  is  descended  from 
most  distinguished  ancestry.  Jasper  Pryer,  the  founder  of  the  family  in 
America,  was  a  Norman  Knight  and  a  descendant  of  Sir  Thomas  Pryer, 
guardian  of  Prince  Edward,  known  as  the  Black  Prince.  It  was  in  1692  that 
Jasper  Pryer  came  to  the  New  World  and  located  in  New  York  city,  where 
he  removed  his  family.  One  of  his  sons  later  became  a  resident  of  Bergen 
county,  New  Jersey.  Our  subject's  great-grandfather  was  Thomas  Pryer,, 
and  his  grandfather  was  Captain  Thomas  Pryer,  who  made  his  home  in  New 
York  city  during  life  and  was  in  the  United  States  Navy  for  a  number  of 
years.  Mrs.  Pryer,  our  subject's  mother,  was  in  her  maidenhood  Miss  Eliza 
Matilda  Chardovoyne  de  Crevecoeur,  and  was  the  daughter  of  William  St. 
John  Chardovoyne,  who  was  a  son  of  Eli  Chardovoyne  de  Crevceoeur  and 
was  America's  first  minister  from  France. 

Charles  Pryer  was  principally  reared  upon  the  farm,  and  at  a  private 
school  in  New  York  city  he  prepared  for  college,  and  passed  a  college  course- 
under  private  tutors.  He  has  since  given  his  attention  mainly  to  the  opera- 
tion of  the  farm  and  to  his  literary  work,  contributing  to  different  magazines 
many  able  articles,  which  have  received  most  favorable  notice.  He  is  also 
the  author  of  a  work  entitled  Reminiscences  of  an  Old  Homestead,  Legends 
of  Westchester  county.  New  York;  the  Booklet  for  historic  New  York,  en- 
titled National  Ground;  and  a  history  of  American  yachting,  which  appeared 
in  the  Sporting  Encyclopedia.  His  works  have  all  been  most  favorably  com- 
mented upon  by  the  press  and  literary  critics  of  the  day. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  1880,  Mr.  Pryer  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Julia  C.  Miller,  a  daughter  of  A.  B.  Miller,  of  New  Rochelle,  but  she  died  in 
October,  1884,  leaving  one  son,  Harold  C.  He  was  again  married  in  1888, 
his  second  union  being  with  Miss  Mary  E.  Harmer,  daughter  of  John  H. 
Harmer,  and  to  them  has  been  born  a  daughter,  Alice  de  Crevecoeur. 

In  politics  Mr.  Pryer  is  conservative.  He  is  a  leader  in  social  circles, 
taking  quite  an  active  and  prominent  part  in  a  number  of  societies  and  clubs. 
He  is  a  director  of  the  Knickerbocker  Press,  in  which  he  has  filled  the  office. 
of  secretary;  was  commodore  of  the  New  Rochelle  Yacht  Club,  and  of  the 
Corinthian  fleet  for  three  terms;  is  a  member  of  the  Century  Club,  of  New 
York  city;  the  Atlantic  Yacht  Club;  Larchmont  Yacht  Club;  New  York  Yacht 
Club;  the  Wood  Club;  and  the  New  York  Historical  Society;  and  is  also  a 
fellow  of  the  American  Geographical  Society;  the  American  Numismatic  and 
Archaeological  Society;  and  the  Botanical  Garden  and  Zoological  Society,  of 
New  York  city.  He  has  a  fine  private  library  and  one  of  the  most  extensive 
collections  of  foreign  coins  in   the  state.      He   is  a   man   of  marked  ability^, 


574  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

forceful  character  and  distinctive  culture, — one  who  will  leave  his  impress 
upon  the  world, — and  the  community  is  certainly  fortunate  that  numbers  him 
among  its  citizens. 


GEORGE  T.  DAVIS. 


The  village  of  New  Rochelle,  in  which  Mr.  Davis  now  resides,  is  also 
the  place  of  his  nativity.  He  was  born  December  12,  1843,  and  traces  his 
ancestry  back  to  an  old  and  prominent  family  of  New  England  that  was 
founded  in  America  in  1665  by  ancestors  who  came  from  Wales  and  located 
in  Derby,  Connecticut.  His  great-grandfather,  Colonel  John  Davis,  was 
born  in  Oxford,  Connecticut,  and  was  colonel  of  the  Connecticut  militia. 
The  grandfather,  Truman  Davis,  was  born  in  Oxford,  New  Haven  county, 
Connecticut,  in  1787,  and  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  but  in  his  later  life  he 
turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  loyally  served  his  country 
in  the  war  of  1812,  and  died  in  his  eighty-second  year.  His  wife  was  Mary 
Allen,  of  Woodbury,  New  Haven  county. 

Captain  Clark  Davis,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Naugatuck,  New  Haven  county,  Connecticut,  in  18 15.  Having  attained  his 
majority  he  wedded  Mary  Ann  Toffey,  a  native  of  the  town  of  New  Rochelle, 
Westchester  county.  She  died  in  1880,  leaving  four  children:  George  T. ; 
Mary  Esther,  wife  of  Homer  Riggs,  of  New  Rochelle;  Anna  Eliza,  wife  of 
Albert  Cornell;  and  Francis  H.,  superintendent  of  the  New  Rochelle  Water 
Company.  Captain  Davis  was  for  a  time  engaged  in  shipping  interests, 
owning  and  running  a  sloop  between  New  Rochelle  and  New  York  city,  but 
the  major  part  of  his  hfe  was  spent  on  his  farm.  He  was  one  of  the  pro- 
gressive men  of  the  county,  and  was  importuned  to  accept  office,  but  always 
refused  except  in  a  few  cases  of  local  preferment.  He  died  in  October, 
1898. 

The  boyhood  days  of  George  T.  Davis  were  passed  in  his  native  town 
and  there  he  acquired  his  literary  education.  He  entered  upon  his  life  career 
as  a  farmer.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  the  Twenty- second  New  York  Militia, 
Colonel  Monroe  commanding,  and  was  sent  to  Baltimore,  Maryland,  later  to 
Harper's  Ferry.  In  1863  he  took  part  in  the  Gettysburg  campaign,  being  in 
action  at  Hampton  or  Sporting  Hill  and  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania. 

After  receiving  an  honorable  discharge  Mr.  Davis  returned  to  the  farm. 
In  1864  he  entered  an  undertaking  establishment  and  became  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  the  business  in  its  various  departments.  He  assisted  his 
father  in  an  undertaking  business  until  1871,  when  he  opened  his  present 
establishment,  and  has  since  worked  up  a  very  large  trade,  having  a  splen- 
didly equipped  establishment,  fine  horses  and  excellent  teams.      His  store  is 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  575 

located  on  Huguenot  street,  and  his  reliability  and  honorable  dealing  have 
secured  to  him  a  good  patronage. 

In  1869  Mr.  Davis  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Henrietta  Palmer,  of 
New  Rochelle,  daughter  of  John  Palmer,  and  they  are  now  parents  of  three 
children, — two  sons  and  a  daughter:  George  M.,  who  is  associated  with  his 
father  in  business;  and  Harry  F.  and  Edith  M.,  at  home.  The  family  occu- 
pies a  leading  position  in  social  circles  and  the  members  of  the  household 
enjoy  the  hospitality  of  the  best  homes  of  New  Rochelle,  where  intelligence 
and  true  worth  are  taken  as  the  passports  into  good  society. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Davis  is  an  earnest  Republican  and  always 
keeps  well  informed  on  the  issues  of  the  day.  His  fellow  townsmen,  appre- 
ciating his  worth  and  ability,  have  called  him  to  public  office  and  he  has 
served  as  trustee  of  the  village  one  term  and  village  clerk  for  five  years.  He 
is  a  member  of  Huguenot  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Flandreau  Post,  No.  509, 
G.  A.  R.,  Old  Guard  of  New  York  city.  In  1898  he  made  strenuous  efforts 
to  enlist  in  the  military  service  of  this  country  against  Spain,  but  his  advanced 
age  prevented  his  acceptance  as  a  private,  and  radical  changes  in  military 
tactics  since  the  civil  war  prevented  his  taking  a  command.  He  started  to 
raise  a  company,  but  the  government  refused  to  accept  raw  recruits.  He 
always  takes  an  active  interest  in  all  things  pertaining  to  military  affairs.  He 
is  treasurer  of  the  New  Rochelle  Building  &  Loan  Association  and  is  a  man 
of  pronounced  business  ability  who  carries  forward  to  successful  completion 
whatever  he  undertakes.  For  twenty-seven  years  he  has  been  connected 
with  the  fire  department  of  New  Rochelle,  and  probably  has  done  more  than 
any  other  one  man  in  perfecting  the  fire-alarm  system.  He  was  for  a  time  fore- 
man of  the  Hook  &  Ladder  Company  and  of  the  Huguenot  Engine  Company, 
and  for  one  year  was  chief  engineer  of  the  department.  He  is  a  public-spir- 
ited and  progressive  citizen  who  gives  a  loyal  support  to  all  measures  for  the 
public  good.  His  life  is  one  co'mmanding  the  highest  regard,  for  his  fidelity 
to  duty  and  honesty  in  business  and  his  faithfulness  to  his  friends  have  .won 
him  unqualified  confidence  and  good  will. 


M.  FOLEY. 


The  proprietor  of  the  Pocantico  Hills  Hotel,  of  Pocantico  Hills,  New 
York,  is  a  prominent  hotel  man  of  Westchester  county,  having  been  in  busi- 
ness at  his  present  place  since  1891.  The  house  is  a  well  arranged  hotel 
containing  sixteen  rooms,  and  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  beautiful  lawn 
covered  with  shade  and  ornamental  trees  and  shrubs  and  flowers,  making  a 
very  picturesque  scene.  It  stands  opposite  the  depot,  has  a  good  bar,  and 
has  become  headquarters  for  politicians,  commercial  travelers,  tourists  and 


576  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

others  stopping  at  Pocantico  Hills  on  business  or  pleasure  bent.  The  land- 
lord, Mr.  Foley,  is  a  man  in  the  prime  of  life,  of  pleasing  personality,  frank, 
genial  and  accommodating  in  manner,  is  well  informed  on  subjects  of  general 
interest,  and  the  guest  or  traveler  that  tarries  at  his  fireside  is  loath  to  leave 
the  place.  He  has  had  many  years'  experience  in  the  hotel  business,  and  it 
is  therefore  not  surprising  that  he  is  so  successfully  conducting  his  present 
house. 

Like  many  of  the  hotel  men  of  New  York,  Mr.  Foley  is  a  native  of  the 
Emerald  Isle,  born  in  1848,  of  worthy  parents,  and  there  he  was  reared  and 
educated  until  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  America,  stopping  first 
in  New  York  city.  From  there  he  came  to  Tarrytown,  Westchester  county, 
and  later  was  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  in  Yonkers,  this  state,  and  in 
1 89 1  came  to  Pocantico  Hills.  He  was  married  at  Yonkers  to  Miss  Honora 
McCarthy,  who  has  been  a  true  helpmeet  to  him,  and  nine  children  bless 
their  union:  Hannah,  Katty,  Joseph,  Mary,  Jennie,  Nellie,  John,  Tillie  and 
Honora. 

Mr.  Foley  exercises  considerable  influence  in  political  affairs  and  takes 
an  active  interest  in  the  same,  but  votes  independently,  supporting  the  man 
whom  he  believes  best  qualified  to  fill  the  office,  regardless  of  party  affilia- 
tions. For  himself  he  cares  nothing  for  the  honors  or  emoluments  of  public 
office,  preferring  to  give  his  entire  time  and  attention  to  his  business  interests. 


WILLIS  S.  PAINE. 


Willis  S.  Paine  was  born  in  Rochester,  New  York,  on  the  ist  of  Janu- 
ary, 1848.  His  father,  Nicholas  E.  Paine,  was  born  in  the  state  of  New 
Hampshire,  and  after  attending  Phillips  Exeter  Academy  was  admitted  to  the- 
bar  upon  attaining  his  majority.  Shortly  afterward  he  removed  to  the  state 
of  Maine,  and  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  staff  of  Governor  Fairchild, 
with  the  rank  of  colonel.  He  married,  at  South  Berwick,  Maine,  Abby  M. 
Sprague,  who  was  a  descendant  of  the  ante-colonial  Governors,  Bradford  and 
Prance,  of  Massachusetts  Bay.  His  brother,  Robert  Treat  Paine,  was  for 
many  years  one  of  the  shining  lights  of  the  Boston  bar.  After  marriage 
Colonel  Paine  removed  to  the  city  of  Rochester,  New  York,  where  he  was 
elected  district  attorney  of  Monroe  county.  He  subsequently  held  the  offices 
of  mayor  and  president  of  the  board  of  education  of  that  city.  Twenty-five 
years  ago  Colonel  Paine  bought  the  McKeel  farm  and  a  part  of  the  Underbill 
farm  at  Yorktown  and  laid  out  a  town  site,  which  with  the  advent  of  the  rail- 
road became  the  locality  now  known  as  Yorktown  Heights. 

In  1885  Nicholas  E.  Paine  and  his  wife  Abby  celebrated  their  golden 
wedding  in  true  New  England  style,  surrounded  by  their  children,  relatives 


CXaa^OL/ 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  577 

of  the  family  and  cherished  friends.  In  1887  he  departed  this  life,  holding 
at  the  time  of  his  death  the  presidency  of  the  Dakota  Railroad  Company. 
He  left  a  daughter,  Mrs.  Wallace  Darrow,  and  two  sons.  The  elder  son  was 
Oakman  S.  Paine,  M.  D.,  who  served  through  the  civil  war  with  conspicuous 
gallantry  and  fidelity  and  was  brevetted  lieutenant-colonel  and  colonel  for 
meritorious  services.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  November  8,  1891,  he  was 
the  surgeon  in  chief  of  St.  Elizabeth's  Hospital  in  the  city  of  New  York. 

A  biography  of  Mr.  Darrow  and  children  appears  on  the  following  pages. 

The  younger  son,  Willis  S.  Paine,  entered  the  Rochester  Collegiate 
Institute  in  the  year  1862.  When  he  graduated  at  this  institution  he  was 
chosen  valedictorian  of  his  class.  He  continued  his  studies  at  the  Rochester 
University,  graduating  with  honor  in  the  class  of  1868.  Before  receiving  his 
college  diploma  he  became  a  law  student  in  the  office  of  Sanford  E.  Church, 
afterward  chief  judge  of  the  court  of  appeals.  In  1868  his  father  removed 
to  New  York  city,  and  our  young  law  student  continued  his  studies  in  the 
the  offices  of  the  late  Charles  A.  Rapallo,  also  one  of  the  judges  of  the  court 
of  appeals.  In  the  spring  of  1869  Mr.  Paine  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and 
for  some  time  practiced  his  profession  in  the  office  of  Judge  Rapallo. 

But  another  and  very  important  field  was  soon  to  be  opened  to  Mr. 
Paine,  into  which  he  was  well  qualified  to  enter  and  where  he  has  won  his 
highest  laurels.  In  1874,  when  the  legislature  passed  a  law  authorizing  the 
bank  superintendent  to  cause  an  annual  examination  to  be  made  of  the  trust 
companies  of  the  state,  Mr.  Paine  was  appointed  by  the  superintendent  as 
one  of  the  three  examiners.  It  was  a  work  in  which  from  the  first  he  took 
the  deepest  interest  and  showed  the  most  careful  and  thorough  research. 
The  examination  soon  resulted  in  the  closing  of  three  trust  companies  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  which  owed  depositors  six  million  dollars.  These  deposi- 
tors were  subsequently  paid  in  full,  and  the  public  press  praised  Mr.  Paine 
for  the  successful  accomplishment  of  this  result.  He  also  made  the  exami- 
nations of  the  same  corporations  the  succeeding  year. 

In  1876  the  doors  of  the  Bond  Street  Savings  Bank,  one  of  the  largest 
institutions  of  the  kind  in  this  country,  were  closed  by  order  of  the  court. 
Mr.  Paine's  success  as  a  lawyer  and  bank  examiner  was  such  that  on  the 
recommendation  of  the  attorney-general  and  the  bank  superintendent  he  was 
appointed  by  Judge  Landon,  at  Schenectady,  as  receiver  of  the  insolvent 
concern. 

Upon  assuming  the  duties  of  the  trust  he  began  an  investigation  of  the 

transactions  of  the  bank  from  its  beginning,  and  then  decided  to  bring  suits 

against  the  trustees  for  losses  incurred  for  certain  acts  which,  while  not  made 

with  wrongful  intent,  were  unauthorized  by  law.     These  suits  were  novel  in 

their  character  and  were  stoutly  defended,  but  the  result  justified  his  theory,. 
37 


578  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

inasmuch  as  the  trustees  paid  him  in  settlement  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and 
thirteen  thousand,  five  hundred  dollars.  The  court  recognized  the  services  of 
Mr.  Paine  in  that  long  and  tedious  warfare,  in  which  so  many  nice  legal  points 
were  involved,  by  stating  "  that  the  duties  of  this  trust  have  been  administered 
■by  the  receiver  with  rare  diligence,  fidelity  and  discretion. "  At  the  time  of  the 
'failure  of  the  bank  a  meeting  of  the  depositors  was  held,  and  a  committee 
of  their  number  was  appointed  to  look  after  their  interests.  Before  the  pay- 
ment of  the  final  dividend  this  committee  met  and  passed  a  series  of  exceed- 
ingly laudatory  resolutions  referring  to  the  manner  in  which  the  receivership 
had  been  conducted,  and  had  the  same  engrossed  and  presented  to  Mr.  Paine. 
So  far  as  known  this  is  the  only  instance  of  the  kind  in  the  history  of  these 
insolvent  institutions  —  oftentimes  quite  the  opposite  feeling  existing  on  the 
■part  of  the  creditors  of  such  institutions  toward  the  receivers. 

Mr.  Paine  succeeded  at  the  close  of  his  receivership  in  paying  the  gen- 
>eral  creditors  eighty-six  and  five-eighths  per  cent.,  while  the  preferred  cred- 
iitors  were   paid   in   full.     The  whole   sum   received    and    disbursed   in  the 
"Winding  up  of  the  affairs  of  the  bank  was  nearly  thirteen  hundred  thousand 
dollars.     No  other  receivership  of  the  twenty-three  savings  banks  that  failed 
in  New  York  city   and   vicinity   during   1873   and   subsequent  years   paid   so 
large  a  percentage:  several  paid  less  than  twenty  per  cent.     Upon  his  peti- 
tion his  accounts  were  examined  by  referees  or  by  attorney-general  deputies 
«ight  times,   and  each  time  the  report  presented  to  the  court  was  of  an 
encomiastic  character,  and  in  the  order  of  closing  the  receivership  Mr.  Paine 
received  "  the  thanks  of  the  court  for  the  faithful  manner  in  which  the  duties 
of  the  trust  have  been  discharged. " 

In  1880  the  legislature  passed  an  act  providing  for  the  appointment  of 
commissioners  to  make  a  compilation  and  revision  of  the  laws  of  the  state 
••affecting  banks  and  banking.  William  Dowd,  the  president  of  the  Bank  of 
North  America,  and  Mr.  Paine,  having  been  appointed  by  Governor  Cornell 
under  this  act,  submitted  a  revision  to  the  legislature  in  1882,  which  was 
then  adopted.  The  legislature  of  the  following  year  gave  a  vote  of  thanks 
to  Messrs.  Paine  and  Dowd  for  their  services.  This  was  the  first  vote  of 
thanks  given  by  that  body  since  the  civil  war.  Both  of  the  commissioners 
served  without  the  slightest  pay,  and  expended  less  than  one-half  of  the  sum 
appropriated  by  the  legislature  for  their  expenses;  the  balance  now  remains 
to  their  credit  in  the  state  treasury. 

Governor  Cleveland,  in  April,  1883,  nominated  Mr.  Paine  as  superin- 
tendent of  the  banking  department  of  this  state.  The  nomination  was  unani- 
mously and  immediately  confirmed  by  the  senate.  No  office  of  its  kind  in 
the  United  States  has  more  varied  responsibility  than  that  of  the  position  of 
hank  superintendent  of  the  state  of  New  York.    The  comptroller  of  the  cur- 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  579 

rency  has  the  supervision  of  banks  of  deposit  and  discount  only,  while  the 
former  has,  in  addition  to  these,  savings  institutions,  trust,  mortgage  and 
safe  deposit  companies,  building  and  accumulating  fund  associations,  the  total 
resources  of  which  aggregate  over  a  thousand  millions  of  dollars. 

In  the  discharge  of  the  duties  pertaining  to  the  office  of  superintendent 
of  the  banking  department,  Mr.  Paine  displayed  a  most  creditable  executive 
ability.  His  clear  conception  of  what  should  constitute  the  practical  work- 
ings of  a  correct  system  in  the  management  of  banks  and  other  state  moneyed 
institutions,  and  his  skill  and  persistence  in  enforcing  these  rules  and  regu- 
lations caused  his  name  to  become  a  high  authority  through  the  country  in 
this  department. 

As  a  writer  Mr.  Paine  has  contributed  much  useful  information,  tending 
to  elucidate  his  favorite  studies  and  investigations.  His  large  work  on 
"  Banks,  Banking  and  Trust  Companies,"  the  preparation  of  which  was  a 
difficult  task,  involving  very  arduous  labor,  is  written  in  a  masterly  style — 
lucid  in  arrangement  and  thoroughly  exhaustive  of  its  subject — and  is  recog- 
nized as  the  standard  work  in  New  York  financial  institutions  of  every  char- 
acter. It  has  been  commended  by  the  press  in  high  terms,  especially  the 
action  of  the  author  in  doing  the  work  without  the  smallest  pecuniary  com- 
pensation, directly  or  indirectly.  The  propriety  of  this  action,  in  view  of 
the  fact  that  he  was,  when  the  book  was  published,  at  the  head  of  the  bank- 
ing department  of  the  state,  while  manifest,  indicates  nevertheless  a  delicacy 
not  always  found  in  public  officials.  The  New  York  Times,  in  reviewing  the 
book,  says  that  "it  covers  the  ground  so  completely  as  to  be  a  hbrary  of 
reference.  Everything  bearing  on  the  subjects  treated,  however  remotely, 
is  incorporated,  and  the  banker  needs  no  other  work  of  reference  to  acquaint 
him  with  the  requirements,  the  obligations,  and  the  legal  limitations  of  his 
business.  The  historical  portion  of  the  work  is  well  worthy  of  study,  show- 
ing, as  it  does,  the  reasons  drawn  from  experience  for  the  conduct  of  banking 
and  other  moneyed  institutions.  In  making  this  compilation  of  the  laws, 
and  in  explaining  the  causes  that  procured  their  enactment,  Mr.  Paine  has 
subserved  a  good  purpose.  His  work  has  been  carefully  and  conscientiously 
done,  and  it  cannot  but  be  of  great  service. "  A  fourth  edition  of  this  work 
has  been  issued  by  Baker,  Voorhis  &  Company.  A  treatise  on  the  law  regu- 
lating building  associations  has  also  been  written  by  Mr.  Paine,  and  is  pub- 
lished by  L.  K.  Strouse  &  Company. 

Mr.  Paine  has  also  written  largely  for  legal  and  financial  magazines,  and 
all  his  literary  efforts  bear  the  mark  of  a  scholarly  hand. 

In  April,  1885,  President  Cleveland  offered  Mr.  Paine  the  position  of 
sub-treasurer  in  the  city  of  New  York.  This  officer  is  the  custodian  of  over 
one  hundred  and  eighty  millions  of  dollars,  and  the  action  of  the  president 


580  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

may  be  regarded  as  an  unusually  high  compliment.  In  June,  1896,  at  its- 
annual  commencement,  Manhattan  College  conferred  upon  him  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Laws. 

On  the  sth  of  April,  1888,  Mr.  Paine  married  Miss  Ruby  S.  Tilden,  the 
daughter  of  the  late  Henry  A.  Tilden,  of  New  Lebanon  Springs,  and  a 
niece  of  ex-Governor  Samuel  J.  Tilden.  She  departed  this  life  December 
20,  1896. 

He  was  an  early  member  oi  the  Bar  Association  of  the  city  of  New 
York,  and  has  served  upon  some  of  its  most  prominent  committees.  He 
was  largely  instrumental  in  having  the  legislature,  in  connection  with  the 
transfers  of  titles  to  real  estate  in  the  city  of  New  York,  adopt  the  "  block 
system;'/  and  the  general  law  providing  for  the  incorporation  and  regulation 
of  trust  companies  is  wholly  his  work.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Tuxedo, 
Commonwealth,  Metropolitan,  the  National  Arts  and  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Clubs 
of  New  York,  and  is  the  president  of  the  Theta  Delta  Chi  Graduate  Asso- 
ciation. 

During  the  month  of  November,  of  the  year  1889,  Mr.  Paine  resigned 
the  bank  superintendency,  having  held  the  office  nearly  twice  as  long  as  any 
of  his  predecessors,  to  accept  the  position  of  president  of  the  State  Trust 
Company,  a  corporation  which  had  been  organized  with  a  capital  of  one 
million  dollars  and  with  a  surplus  of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  This 
corporation  has  been  remarkably  successful. 

In  the  month  of  May,  1892,  he  resigned  the  presidency  of  the  State 
Trust  Company  for  the  purpose  of  taking  a  trip  around  the  world.  He  sailed 
during  that  month  for  Europe,  and  remained  abroad  about  a  year  and  a  half. 
Upon  his  return  he  was  tendered,  by  Governor  Flower,  the  position  of  colo- 
nel upon  the  latter's  staff,  which  was  accepted  by  Mr.  Paine.  Colonel 
Paine  subsequently  became  the  first  president  of  the  Merchants  Safe  Deposit 
Company,  in  New  York  city,  which  position  he  still  holds.  He  is  a  director 
in  the  American  Surety  Company,  Metropolitan  Savings  Bank,  State  Trust 
Company  and  other  corporations. 


WALLACE  DARROW. 


Wallace  Darrow  was  born  June  10,  1827,  at  Plymouth,  Connecticut. 
When  a  young  man  he  moved  to  Rochester,  New  York,  and  with  his 
brother  established  a  large  book  and  publishing  business.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  city  council  of  Rochester,  and  first  lieutenant  of  a  local  battery  of 
the  National  Guard,  and  served  as  such  when  this  organization  was  mustered 
into  the  United  States  service  during  the  Civil  war.  He  was  married  Octo- 
ber 10,  1856,  to  Ellen  L.  Paine,  daughter  of  Colonel   Nicholas  E.   Paine.. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  581 

Three  children  were  born  as  the  result  of  this  union, — Walter  Nicholas  Paine 
Darrow,  Ethel  Abby  Darrow  and  Lillian  Sprague  Darrow.  About  1870 
Wallace  Darrow  moved  to  New  York  with  his  family  and  engaged  in  the  sur- 
gical-instrument business  for  about  fifteen  years,  when  he  disposed  of  his 
interest  and  moved  to  Yorktown  in  Westchester  county,  where  he  has  since 
resided,  and  for  a  number  of  years  he  was  connected  with  the  Putnam  branch 
of  the  New  York  Central  &  Hudson  River  Railroad.  His  grandfather  was 
Titus  Darrow,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  and  war  of  1812  from  Connecticut, 
and  his  great-grandfather  was  Elisha  Blackman,  who  also  did  considerable 
fighting  in  the  Revolution  and  during  the  colonial  wars  previous. 

Walter  N.  P.  Darrow  was  born  in  Rochester,  New  York,  February  18, 
1863.  He  entered  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York  in  1879,  and  left 
during  his  junior  year  to  enter  the  United  States  Military  Academy  at  West 
Point.  He  was  appointed  by  Waldo  Hutchins,  who  was  at  that  time  the 
member  of  congress  from  Westchester  county.  He  graduated  in  1886  with 
a  class  standing  of  twelve  in  the  largest  class  that  was  ever  graduated  at  that 
institution.  He  was  appointed  a  second  lieutenant  in  the  Fourth  United 
States  Artillery  and  served  at  several  posts  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  being  two 
years  at  Fortress  Monroe,  Virginia,  where  he  graduated  at  the  United  States 
Artillery  School  for  officers.  He  resigned  his  commission  October  26,  1891, 
to  engage  in  business  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He 
was  married  September  23,  1890,  to  Miss  Mary  Neil,  daughter  of  William  A. 
Neil  of  Columbus,  Ohio.  Since  leaving  the  regular  service  he  has  served  in 
the  National  Guard  of  Ohio  as  captain  of  a  light  battery,  lieutenant-colonel 
of  the  Fourteenth  Infantry,  and  as  colonel  of  the  First  Regiment  of  Light 
Artillery.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Society  of  the  War  of  18 12,  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution  and  the  Loyal  Legion. 

Ethel  Abby  Darrow  was  born  in  New  York  city  June  4,  1871,  and  died 
there  February  i,   1875. 

Lillian  Sprague  Darrow  was  born  at  Yorktown  November  8,  1876.  She 
was  educated  at  Drew  Seminary,  Carmel,  New  York,  and  was  married 
November  4,  1897,  to  William  Fields  Beal,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts,  where 
she  has  since  resided.  They  have  one  child,  a  son,  James  Hamilton  Beal, 
born  February  4,  1899. 


MICHAEL  H.  WHITE. 


The  proprietor  of  Echo  Farm  is  the  popular,  genial  and  obliging  col- 
lector for  Harrison  township,  Westchester  county.  Though  Mr.  White  is 
one  of  the  youngest  of  the  county  officials,  none  are  more  thorough,  prompt 
and  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  their  manifold  duties,  and  he  is  second  to  none 


582  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

in  his  desire  to  see  the  best  interests  of  his  fellow  citizens  maintained.  He  is 
now  serving  his  second  term  in  this  position,  and  it  is  needless  to  say  that  he 
is  meeting  the  requirements  of  the  office  with  credit  to  himself  and  friends, 
for  this  is  a  fact  generally  known. 

Mr.  White  comes  from  a  good  old  Irish  family  who  have  been  noted  for 
patriotism  to  native  and  adopted  countries.  His  father,  Thomas  White,  was 
born  in  the  beautiful  Emerald  Isle,  in  the  city  of  Dublin,  within  the  same 
year  in  which  Queen  Victoria's  useful  and  eventful  life  began.  Mr.  White 
grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  land,  and  when  the  dreadful  famine  of  1849 
came  on  he  decided  to  come  to  America  to  make  a  home  for  himself  and  fam- 
ily. He  was  a  poor  man,  and  at  first,  as  he  had  no  friends  nor  influence,  in 
the  United  States,  he  took  whatever  employment  came  to  hand,  whereby  he 
might  earn  his  honest  daily  bread.  His  first  wages  were  but  four  dollars  a 
month  and  his  board,  but  he  soon  was  better  paid  and  he  persevered  until 
he  became,  in  time,  prosperous,  as  he  certainly  deserved  to  be.  He  bought 
a  farm  in  this  county  and  is  still  living  here,  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
His  wife,  whom  he  married  in  Ireland,  was  likewise  a  native  of  Dublin. 
She  has  been  a  loyal  helpmate  and  is  still  living  to  share  her  husband's  joys 
and  sorrows.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  namely:  Thomas,  of 
Rye  township;  Jennie,  who  died  in  1882;  Katie,  wife  of  Thomas  Knisley; 
Julia,  wife  of  J.  E.  Johnson,  of  New  York  city;  Michael,  subject  of  this  sketch; 
and  John,  of  Rye  township. 

The  birth  of  Michael  H.  White  took  place  in  Westchester  county,  Jan- 
uary 10,  1866.  The  farm  which  he  cultivates  is  a  valuable  one,  comprising 
forty  acres  of  land  situated  three  miles  from  Port  Chester.  The  land  is 
especially  suitable  for  dairying,  and,  as  the  adjacent  city  markets  furnish 
good  points  for  shipment  of  all  dairy  products,  Mr.  White  decided  a  few 
years  ago  to  embark  in  the  business.  This  move  on  his  part  was  a  fortunate 
one  for  him  and  he  has  reaped  a  goodly  harvest  of  golden  shekels  each  year 
since  he  embarked  in  the  enterprise.  He  leases  other  farms  and  keeps  a 
large  number  of  high-grade  cows.  Though  he  started  business  on  a  small 
scale  he  has  gradually  increased  it  and  is  constantly  branching  out,  with  a 
view  to  greater  things  in  the  future.  All  of  the  products  of  the  Echo  Farm 
Dairy  find  a  ready  sale,  the  name  being  a  guaranty  of  purity  and  excellence 
of  material  and  preparation.  At  the  present  time  Mr.  White  owns  twenty- 
six  cows,  and,  had  he  twice  the  number,  could  easily  find  customers  for  all 
the  milk,  butter  and  cream  he  placed  on  sale. 

Since  he  became  a  voter  Mr.  White  has  been  an  earnest  adherent  to  the 
platform  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  has  done  effective  work  in  its  behalf. 
He  takes  great  interest  in  educational  matters  and  in  the  condition  of  the 
roads  and,  in  short,  in  all  things  which  materially  affect  the  comfort  and 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  583 

convenience  of  the  public  at  large  in  this  county.  He  received  a  good  edu- 
cation and  is  thoroughly  posted  in  current  events  and  the  general  news  of 
the  day.  He  takes  the  leading  newspapers  and  in  general  information  aims 
to  keep  abreast  of  the  times.  His  many  sterling  qualities  of  character  have 
brought  to  him  the  friendship  and  genuine  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  has 
had  business  or  social  relations. 


C.  E.  KENE. 


In  the  learned  professions  naught  availeth  but  individual  merit.  Strong 
mentality,  close  application,  comprehensive  and  accurate  knowledge  and 
ability  to  apply  the  principles  of  law  to  the  points  in  litigation,  are  the  essen- 
tial qualifications  of  the  successful  attorney  and  counselor  at  law.  The  pos- 
session of  these  attributes  has  made  Cornelius  E.  Kene  one  of  the  leading 
practitioners  of  Westchester  county  and  New  York  city. 

Born  in  the  city  of  Brooklyn  in  the  year  1852,  he  is  a  son  of  John  R. 
and  Ellen  Jane  (Newnan)  Kene.  During  his  early  childhood  his  parents 
removed  to  Westchester  county,  locating  in  Tuckahoe,  town  of  East  Chester, 
where  he  pursued  his  education  in  the  public  schools  until  1867.  He  afterward 
studied  in  a  private  preparatory  school  in  New  York  city,  and  subsequently  con- 
tinued his  education  in  Baltimore  and  in  Ilchester,  Maryland,  entering  the  law 
department  of  Columbia  College  in  1871.  In  May,  1873,  he  was  graduated 
in  that  institution,  and  in  December  of  the  same  year  was  admitted  to  the 
bar.  He  continued  his  studies  for  four  years  with  the  very  prominent  law 
firrh  of  Close  &  Robertson,  of  White  Plains,  Westchester  county,  and  spent 
the  winters  of  1876  and  1877  in  the  state  legislature  with  Senator  Robertson, 
as  clerk  of  the  senate  judiciary  committee,  at  Albany,  and  as  assistant  to 
Hon.  Montgomery  H.  Throop,  who  was  engaged  in  the  work  of  preparing 
the  laws  of  New  York,  being  chairman  of  the  commission  on  the  revision  of 
the  statutes  creating  the  code  of  civil  procedure.  All  this  tended  to  give  Mr. 
Kene  a  very  broad  and  thorough  understanding  of  jurisprudence,  and  thus 
with  an  exceptionally  thorough  preparation  he  entered  upon  private  practice. 
'  In  1877  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Banks,  Keogh  &  Kene,  with 
offices  in  New  Rochelle  and  Portchester,  New  York.  Since  January  1879,  he 
has  practiced  alone,  and  has  an  extensive  and  distinctively  representative  clien- 
tage. He  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  Westchester 
bar  when  in  1885  he  opened  an  office  in  New  York  city.  There  he  soon  came 
into  prominence,  for  his  marked  ability  won  recognition  in  the  favorable 
opinions  of  the  court  in  many  litigated  interests  which  he  had  in  charge.  He 
has  been  counsel  in  a  large  number  of  important  suits  involving  large  amounts 
arid    most   intricate   legal    questions.      In   Westchester   county  he  has   been 


584  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

elected  police  justice,  civil  justice  and  corporation  counsel  of  New  Rochelle, 
where  he  retains  his  residence.  He  has  in  an  eminent  degree  that  rare  abil- 
ity of  saying  in  a  convincing  way  the  right  thing  at  the  right  time.  With  a 
knowledge  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  law,  he  combines  a  familiarity 
with  statutory  law  which  makes  him  a  formidable  adversary  in  legal  combat 
and  has -gained  him  marked  distinction. 

In  June,  1887,  Mr.  Kenewas  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Emma  C.  Ehr- 
hart,  of  New  York  city,  and  they  have  two  children, — Cornelius  E.  and  Ju- 
han.  Theirs  is  a  beautiful  home,  located  on  Mayflower  avenue,  in  Huguenot 
Park,  on  an  elevated  site  which  commands  a  fine  view  of  the  surrounding 
country  from  Long  Island  Sound  to  the  Palisades.  The  Kene  household  is 
the  center  of  a  cultured  society  circle.  Mr.  Kene  is  a  man  of  studious  habits 
and  scholarly  tastes.  He  speaks  several  modern  languages,  has  a  broad 
acquaintance  with  the  classics  and  is  the  author  of  poetical  and  prose  pro- 
ductions. Master  of  the  art  of  rhetoric,  at  once  entertaining,  logical  and 
convincing,  he  is  popular  with  his  audiences  and  has  delivered  a  number  of 
interesting  addresses. 


E.    FRANK  HART. 


E.  Frank  Hart  is  one  of  the  substantial  farmers  of  White  Plains,  West- 
chester county,  and  was  born  on  the  old  family  homestead  in  the  town  of 
Greenburg,  September  27,  1847.  While  the  origin  of  the  family  in  America 
is  not  definitely  known,  the  representatives  of  the  name  are  probably 
descended  from  Edward  Hart,  who,  history  tells  us,  was  a  selectman  of 
Flushing,  Long  Island,  and  reared  a  large  family.  He  was  imprisoned  in 
1657  because  he  would  not  expose  the  Quakers  and  deliver  them  to  the 
Dutch  governor.  Captain  Jonathan  Hart,  one  of  the  direct  ancestors  of  our 
subject,  was  a  mariner.  He  married  Hannah,  daughter  of  John  Budd,  who 
was  a  resident  of  Long  Island  prior  to  1664.  Captain  Hart  settled  at  Budd 
Neck  in  1685,  and  was  a  townsman  of  Rye  in  1686.  His  son  Monmouth 
married  Sarah  Ogden,  resided  at  Rye  Neck,  purchased  land  in  White  Plains 
in  1712,  and  died  in  1759  or  1761.  He  had  three  sons,  Monmouth,  James 
and  Joseph.  The  eldest  died  in  1786.  By  his  wife,  Rachel  Hart,  he  had 
the  following  children:  Abraham,  Hannah,  Mary  Ann,  Rachel,  Robert, 
James  and  Jonathan.  James  Hart,  the  second  son  of  Monmouth  and  Sarah 
Hart,  died  in  1781,  leaving  three  sons,  James,  Elisha  and  Jacob.  The  third 
son,  Joseph,  is  said  to  have  met  death  by  drowning.  He  was  given  land  by 
his  father,  who  had  purchased  it  of  T.  Merritt  in  1740,  and  which  had  been 
proved  by  will  in  1761.  His  children  were  Eleizar,  of  Long  Island;  Mon- 
mouth and  John,  of  Greenburg;  Joseph,  who  resided  at  the  Leggett  place; 


6"  cAi^Afk^  TiQayJ^ 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  585 

Josephua  T.,  who  made  his  home  at  the  Horton  place;  Isaac;  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth Hatfield:  Mrs.  Sarah  Purdy;  Mrs.  Deborah  Merritt;  and  Mrs.  Tamer 
Horton. 

John  Hart,  the  son  of  Joseph,  owned  what  was  afterward  called  the 
Allen  Mead  place,  in  Greenburg,  and  his  children  were  Stephen,  Isaac, 
William,  Sarah,  Eleizar,  Andrew,  Hannah  and  Patterson,  and  of  this  family, 
Eleizar  married  Rhoda  Tompkins,  and  their  children  are  Elisha,  Asbury  and 
John  Hunter,  the  last  named  a  resident  of  Hartsdale. 

Monmouth  Hart,  born  in  1752,  was  the  great-grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject. He  was  married  in  1778  to  Mary  Gedney  and  resided  at  Hartsdale. 
Their  children  were  Elizabeth,  John,  Cynthia,  Elijah,  Deborah,  Joseph, 
Peter  and  Monmouth.  The  last  named  married  Julia  Ann  Tompkins,  and 
of  their  children,  Joseph  resides  in  the  west,  and  Thomas  and  Lemuel  reside 
at  Hartsdale.  John,  a  son  of  Monmouth  and  Mary  (Gedney)  Hart,  and  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  1781,  and  about  1805  married  Phebe 
Fisher,  by  whom  he  had  the  iollowing  children:  Phebe,  Dorathea,  Maria, 
Elijah  Gedney,  Elizabeth  and  Abigail  Jane. 

Elijah  Gedney  Hart,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  the  village  of 
Hartsdale,  Westchester  county,  in  1817,  and  died  in  1885.  He  was  a  prom- 
inent and  successful  farmer  and  general  business  man,  and  was  highly 
esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him.  In  politics  he  was  a  stanch  Democrat,  and 
in  religious  belief  was  a  Presbyterian,  contributing  liberally  to  the  support  of 
the  church.  In  1840  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Hanna  Downing, 
who  was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York  in  1821,  and  died  in  Westchester 
county  in  1888.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Jordan  and  Elizabeth  (Lord)  Down- 
ing, and  when  a  small  child  came  with  her  parents  to  the  town  of  Greenburg. 
Her  remains  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  Rural  cemetery  at  White  Plains.  To 
Gedney  and  Hannah  Hart  were  born  five  children:  John  Jay,  born  Novem- 
ber 20,  1841,  was  married  in  1866,  in  Salem,  Nebraska,  to  Alvirdia  Kinniison, 
and  now  resides  in  Warsaw,  Missouri;  Josephine,  born  March  20,  1844,  mar- 
ried Jacob  C.  Horton,  and  died  September  9,  1869,  leaving  two  children, 
Cornelius  J.  and  Jennie  E. ;  Elias  Franklyn  is  the  subject  of  this  record; 
Monmouth  G. ,  born  December  3,  1850,  was  a  prominent  attorney  and  died 
December  7,  1895;  and  Elizabeth,  born  July  18,  1855,  is  the  wife  of  Thomas 
Gibson,  who  resides  in  North  street.  White  Plains,  and  they  have  five  chil- 
dren, Alice,  Ellen,  James,  Frank  Hart  and  Fannie. 

When  a  child  E.  Frank  Hart  attended  the  district  schools  and  later 
became  a  student  in  the  White  Plains  Academy.  The  three  yeairs  imme- 
diately following  his  school  days  were  spent  in  Nebraska.  Returning  to  his. 
native  county,  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  in  1879  purchased  the  Cornelius 
Horton  farm,  containing  sixty-three  acres,  which  is  a  part  of  the  old  Horton 


586  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

homestead.  He  now  has  a  well  improved  place  upon  which  are  three  good' 
barns,  a  number  of  other  substantial  outbuildings  and  sheds  and  a  handsome 
residence  of  modern  architecture.  Everything  about  the  place  is  character- 
ized by  neatness  and  thrift  and  indicates  the  careful  supervision  of  a  pro- 
gressive and  practical  farmer. 

In  1875,  Mr.  Hart  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Amelia  McCord,  a 
daughter  of  Albert  and  Adelia  McCord.  She  died  nine  years  later,  leaving  a 
daughter,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eleven  years.  In  1886  Mr.  Hart  led  to  the 
marriage  altar  Miss  Sarah  Shute,  a  daughter  of  James  L.  and  Mary  (Fowler) 
Shute,  of  White  Plains.  She  is  a  member  of  and  earnest  worker  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  is  a  most  estimable  lady.  Mr.  Hart  is  a  com- 
municant of  the  First  Presbyterian  church,  of  White  Plains,  and  is  serving  on 
its  board  of  trustees.  In  his  political  affiliations  he  is  a  Democrat  and  takes 
an  intelligent  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  party.  He  is  ever  ready  to  advance 
any  movement  or  measure  for  the  betterment  of  the  community,  and  is  a  val- 
ued citizen  of  White  Plains. 


MONMOUTH  G.   HART. 


The  subject  of  this  memoir  was  the  third  son  of  Gedney  and  Hannah 
(Downing)  Hart,  and  was  born  December  3,  1850,  in  the  town  of  Greenburg, 
in  a  house  now  standing  on  Chatterton  Hill  road.  During  his  boyhood  his 
parents  removed  to  a  farm  on  Central  avenue,  and  there  he  spent  the  greater 
part  of  his  life.  He  pursued  his  education  in  the  old  brick  school-house, 
which  is  still  standing,  on  the  road  between  White  Plains  and  Elmsford,  and 
also  spent  one  term  in  Professor  Moody's  select  school,  at  White  Plains.  At 
sixteen  years  of  age  he  put  aside  his  text-books,  and  entered  upon  an  inde- 
pendent business  career  by  accepting  a  position  as  clerk  in  the  dry-goods 
store  of  E.  B.  Taylor,  on  Main  street,  Yonkers,  where  he  remained  for  two 
years,  when,  on  account  of  failing  health,  he  returned  to  the  farm.  He  was 
too  ambitious  to  remain  there  for  any  great  length  of  time,  however,  and 
after  a  year  he  began  studying  law  in  the  office  of  Charles  S.  Purdy,  of 
White  Plains.  In  1869  he  entered  the  law  department  of  Columbia  College, 
in  which  he  pursued  a  two-years  course,  teaching  in  the  district  school  in 
Bronxville  during  the  vacations  of  1869  and  1870.  He  was  graduated  with 
honor  and  admitted  to  the  bar,  but  did  not  at  once  begin  an  independent 
practice.  Upon  receiving  his  diploma  he  entered  the  office  of  Marshall  & 
Verplanck,  prominent  attorneys,  and  soon  became  their  managing  clerk, 
attending  to  a  large  part  of  their  litigated  business.  He  was  thus  engaged 
until  187s,  when  he  opened  an  office  of  his  own.  He  was  a  most  diligent 
and  painstaking  student,  but  in  his  early  career  it  was  thought  by  many  that 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  587 

he  would  not  achieve  great  success  in  the  profession  on  account  of  his  retir- 
ing disposition.  In  manner  he  was  very  unobtrusive,  shrinking  from  public- 
praise  and  avoiding  everything  that  seemed  to  partake  of  the  nature  of  osten- 
tation. Success,  however,  did  come  to  him  as  the  result  of  his  methodical 
habits  and  marked  ability.  He  made  it  a  rule  of  his  professional  career  to 
be  at  his  office  the  same  hour  every  day,  to  remain  there  for  a  certain  length 
of  time,  and  to  attend  to  such  matters  as  might  be  entrusted  to  his  manage- 
ment with  thoroughness.  His  devotion  to  his  clients'  interests  was  proverbial, 
and  this,  added  to  his  comprehensive  understanding  of  the  principles  of  juris- 
prudence, contributed  not  a  little  to  his  success.  Working  on  quietly  and 
patiently  year  after  year,  his  practice  steadily  increased  and  he  advanced  in 
public  favor.  He  resided  at  the  family  homestead  in  the  town  of  Greenburg 
and  there  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  two  terms  or  eight  years,  until 
1892,  when  he  resigned.  He  had  been  the  protector  of  his  mother  after  the 
father's  death,  and  remained  at  the  old  home  until  Mrs.  Hart  also  was  called 
away,  when  he  removed  to  White  Plains.  He  was  also  for  a  number  of  years 
attorney  for  the  town  of  Greenburg  and  a  member  of  the  town  board.  He 
was  by  no  means  a  politician  in  the  sense  of  ofifice-seeking,  much  preferring 
to  devote  his  time  and  attention  to  his  profession,  yet  realized  fully  the 
responsibility  attaching  to  citizenship,  and  aided  in  nominating  and  elect- 
ing good  men  of  the  Democratic  party,  in  whose  principles  he  believed  so- 
firmly. 

When  a  young  man  Monmouth  Hart  united  with  the  Presbyterian  church, 
at  White  Plains,  was  ever  active  in  its  work,  served  as  trustee  for  twenty-one 
years  and  was  also  treasurer  and  elder  of  the  church  for  a  number  of  years. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Westchester  County  Historical  Society  and  served 
therein  as  secretary  and  treasurer.  He  was  also  prominent  in  the  White 
Plains  Good  Government  Club,  a  director  in  the  White  Plains  Bank,  which 
he  aided  in  organizing,  and  a  trustee  in  the  Savings  Bank,  serving  as  attorney 
of  both  financial  institutions.  His  clientage  was  large  and  he  was  a  safe 
counselor,  his  judgment  being  sound  and  his  conclusions  correct.  His  main 
practice  was  in  real-estate  law  and  in  the  surrogate  court,  but  he  was  well 
versed  in  the  various  departments  of  jurisprudence.  In  his  particular  lines 
he  stood  very  high,  not  only  by  reason  of  his  eminent  trustworthiness  and 
thoroughness  but  also  for  his  marked  ability.  He  was  truly  a  good  man, 
noble-spirited  and  generous, — traits  which  were  manifest  in  his  treatment  of 
poor  clients,  whom  he  served  as  faithfully  as  those  able  to  pay  large  fees.  But 
his  ambition  was  greater  than  his  strength,  and  his  devotion  to  business 
caused  his  health  to  fail.  He  frequently  visited  the  south  for  the  benefit  of 
his  health,  but  died  suddenly  of  pneumonia,  December  7,  1895,  just  as  he 
was  entering  upon  his   forty-fifth  year.      He   died  with  a  firm  faith  in  the 


588  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Christian  religion  and  his  death  was  mourned  by  many  friends  who  gathered 
to  pay  their  last  tribute  of  respect  as  he  was  laid  to  rest  in  Rural  cemetery,  by 
the  side  of  his  mother,  to  whom  he  was  ever  most  devoted. 


ISAAC  H.   VENN. 


Of  the  industrial  interests  of  Yonkers  Isaac  H.  Venn  is  a  prominent  rep- 
resentative, and  his  enterprise  and  progressiveness  make  him  a  valued  factor 
in  commercial  circles.  He  is  a  native  of  Wilmington,  Delaware,  born  March 
26,  1856,  and  is  of  Welsh  descent.  His  grandfather,  William  Venn,  lived  at 
Newport,  in  Monmouthshire,  Wales,  and  his  occupation  was  that  of  a 
cracker-maker.  He  took  part  in  the  charter  riots  of  1826,  and  was  an  influ- 
ential citizen  of  the  community.  He  held  membership  in  the  Presbyterian 
church,  and  died  at  the  age  of  forty-eight  years.  His  son,  Cornelius  H. 
Venn,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Wales,  and  when  twenty-three 
years  of  age  came  to  America,  locating  in  Wilmington,  Delaware,  where  he 
followed  the  baker's  trade  for  forty  years.  He  has  given  his  political 
support  to  the  Republican  party;  socially,  is  connected  with  the  Good  Fel- 
lows Society,  and  in  religious  belief  is  a  Presbyterian.  He  married  Hannah 
Hambleton  and  to  them  were  born  five  children:  Mrs.  Elizabeth  T.  Mahon, 
Richard  T. ,  Isaac  H.,  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Davis  and  David  H.  The  father,  who 
was  born  January  i,  1818,  is  still  living,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty  years, 
but  the  mother  passed  away  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years.  She  traced  her 
ancestry  back  to  the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth  century.  The  family  is 
of  Anglo-Saxon  origin,  and  its  representatives  were  among  the  earliest  set- 
tlers of  Chester  and  Bucks  counties,  Pennsylvania.  In  the  latter  lived  James 
Hambleton,  a  Quaker,  and  from  him  was  descended  Samuel  Hambleton,  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject  and  the  son  of  the  eighth  John  Hambleton.  He 
was  born  in  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1785,  and  died  March  24,  1851. 
His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Hannah  Brown,  was  born  May  7, 
1788,  and  died  September  9,  1833,  after  which  Mr.  Hambleton  married 
Sarah  Walton.  He  was  a  farmer  and  nurseryman,  and  owned  a  farm  in 
Upper  Oxford  township,  Bucks  county,  all  his  life.  He  belonged  to  the 
Hicksite  branch  of  the  Quakers  and  was  strongly  opposed  to  all  ' '  ologies  "  and 
"isms."  His  children,  all  born  of  the  first  marriage,  were  Joseph,  Isaac. 
John,  Emil,  Sarah,  Rachel,  Hannah  and  Samuel. 

Isaac  H.  Venn  attended  the  public  schools  of  Wilmington,  Delaware, 
until  twelve  years  of  age,  and  then  worked  with  his  father  in  the  bakery, 
learning  the  trade  in  its  various  branches.  At  the  age  of  seventeen,  how- 
ever, he  began  learning  the  pattern-maker's  trade   with  the  firm  of  Hillis  & 


I 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  £89' 

Jones,  of  Wilmington,  remaining  in  their  employ  from  1872  until  1876. 
Later  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  Manchester,  England,  where  he  secured 
employment  with  the  firm  of  Horner  &  Barker,  manufacturers  of  soda- 
water  machinery,  ultimately  becoming  superintendent  of  their  large  plant,  in 
which  capacity  he  served  for  two  years  and  six  months.  Subsequently  he 
was  employed  for  three  months  as  assistant  foreman  in  the  pattern-making 
department  of  the  Meadow -Hall  Locomotive  Works,  and  then  took  charge 
of  the  plant  of  the  Mitchell  Wisbrodale  Foundry  Company,    near  Barnsley. 

While  abroad  Mr.  Venn  visited  various  points  of  historic  and  modern 
interest  in  Great  Britain.  He  saw  the  famous  Blarney  stone  of  Ireland;  the 
various  palaces,  now  old  in  story;  Dunbarton  castle,  on  the  Clyde;  the  tower 
of  London,  containing  the  relics  of  ancient,  mediaeval  and  modern  methods 
of  punishment  and  execution;  Holyrood  palace,  in  Scotland;  the  home  of 
John  Knox,  in  England;  Shakespeare's  home,  on  the  Avon;  St.  Paul's  cathe- 
deral,  covering  seven  acres;  Westminster  Abbey;  the  two  houses  of  parlia- 
ment; the  Crystal  Palace  of  London;  and  Cleopatra's  Needle,  the  famous 
Egyptian  obelisk  which  was  then  being  prepared  for  shipment  to  New  York, 
on  the  river  Thames.  On  one  occasion  he  was  preparing  to  go  to  Australia, 
but  owing  to  the  alarming  condition  of  his  mother's  health  he  abandoned 
the  trip. 

Returning  to  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Venn  engaged  in  the 
installment  business  in  that  city,  and  afterward  was  connected  with  the  Vul- 
can Brass  Works,  having  charge  of  the  pattern  department  for  two  years.  In 
1 88 1  he  took  charge  of  the  Charles  Teal  Pattern  Works,  in  Philadelphia,  and 
in  April,  1883,  he  came  to  Yonkers,  New  York,  where  he  has  since  made  his 
home.  Here  he  accepted  the  position  of  foreman  of  the  pattern-making 
department  of  the  plant  owned  by  Otis  Brothers  &  Company,  and  has  since 
remained  in  charge,  having  control  over  eleven  employes.  His  thorough 
understanding  of  the  business  and  his  many  years  of  experience  render  him 
an  expert  in  his  chosen  field  of  endeavor,  and  his  skill  and  ability  have  con- 
tributed not  a  little  to  the  success  of  the  enterprise  with  which  he  has  been 
connected.  His  thorough  reliability  has  won  him  the  confidence  of  all  with 
whom  he  has  been  associated  in  business  and  his  standing  in  the  industrial 
circles  of  Yonkers  is  indeed  enviable. 

In  October,  1883,  Mr.  Venn  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lydia  J. 
Broomall,  a  daughter  of  Nehemiah  Broomall,  of  Delaware  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, who  was  a  cousin  of  Nehemiah  Broomall,  a  miller  in  Brandywine,  and 
of  Judge  John  M.  Broomall,  of  Delaware  county,  Pennsylvania.  Her  father 
heia  a  number  of  local  offices,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends. 
His  family  numbered  seven  children:  Mary,  Thomas,  Martha,  Ellen,  John, 
Sarah  and  Jennie.      Mr.  Broomall   died  September  21,  1875,  at  the  age  of 


590  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

seventy  years,  and  his  wife  passed   away  December  28,  1891,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-four  years. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Venn  have  been  born  four  children:  Edith,  Viola, 
Farla  and  Roland.  The  family  is  well  known  in  the  community  and  Mr. 
Venn  is  quite  prominent  in  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He  was  initiated  in 
Nepperhan  Lodge,  No.  736,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Yonkers,  and  is  now  a  mem- 
ber of  Rising  Star  Lodge,  No.  450,  of  Yonkers.  He  joined  the  organization 
in  1891  and  in  1893  was  elected  senior  warden.  The  same  year  he  became 
a  member  of  Terrace  City  Chapter,  No.  177,  R.  A.  M.,  and  has  filled  its 
various  offices,  being  elected  high  priest  in  1896  and  again  in  1897.  In  1898 
he  was  again  chosen  to  that  office,  but  refused  to  serve  for  a  third  term.  In 
1899  Mr.  Venn  was  appointed  grand  master  of  the  first  veil  of  the  grand 
chapter  of  Royal  Arch  Masons  of  the  state  of  New  York.  In  1893  he  became 
a  member  of  the  Commandery  of  Knights  Templar,  filled  several  offices 
therein,  and  is  now  trustee. 


CHARLES  H.  DODGE. 


This  enterprising  agriculturist  of  New  Castle  township  is  the  proprietor 
of  the  Chappaqua  Mountain  farm,  and  his  management  of  the  place  is 
marked  by  the  scientific  knowledge  and  skill  which  characterizes  the  modern 
farmer.  He  was  born  on  his  grandfathers  homestead.  May  25,  1840,  and  is 
a  son  of  Henry  Dodge.  His  paternal  grandparents  were  Thomas  and  Han- 
nah (Reynolds)  Dodge,  who  reared  six  children,  one  son  and  five  daughters, 
namely:  Henry,  Mrs.  Sarah  Hammond,  Mrs.  Anna  Birdsell,  Mrs.  Ann 
Washburn,  Mrs.  Abbie  Washburn  and  Mrs.  Phoebe  Washburn.  Henry 
Dodge,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  a  carpenter  and  undertaker,  and  in  the 
latter  occupation  did  quite  an  extensive  business,  digging  the  grave  and  mak- 
ing the  coffin  for  eight  dollars  and  up.  He  married  Miss  Rebecca  Kipp, 
a  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Phoebe  Kipp,  and  the  only  child  born  of  this 
union  was  our  subject.  The  father  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years,  the 
mother  at  the  age  of  seventy-six.  Both  were  Hicksite  Quakers,  and  were 
highly  respected  by  all  who  knew  them. 

Upon  the  old  homestead  Charles  H.  Dodge  early  became  famiHar  with 
every  department  of  farm  work,  and  is  to-day  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
thorough  and  skillful  farmers  of  the  community.  His  literary  education  was 
obtained  in  the  local  schools.  On  the  4th  of  March,  1868,  he  wedded  Miss 
Mary  L.  Cronk,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Charity  (Acker)  Cronk,  and  grand- 
daughter of  Henry  and  Amy  (Dusenbury)  Cronk.  Her  paternal  grandfather 
was  a  native  of  Holland,  while  her  maternal  grandfather,  Wilbert  Acker,  was 
the  hero  of  Washington  Irving's  novel,  "  Wilbert's  Roost,"  which  place  was 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  591 

afterward  the  home  of  the  famous  novelist,  the  name  being  changed  to  Sun- 
nyside.  To  James  and  Charity  Cronk  were  born  five  children,  of  whom  three 
are  still  living:  Willot  A.,  a  resident  of  Peekskill;  Ezra  J.,  of  New  Castle 
township;  and  Mary  L. ,  wife  of  our  subject.  The  two  deceased  are  Leonard, 
who  was  an  officer  in  the  Union  army  during  the  civil  war  and  was  killed  in 
the  service,  leaving  a  widow  and  one  son,  Frederick,  now  a  resident  of  Tarry- 
town;  and  Robert,  who  died  at  Port  Chester,  leaving  a  widow  and  three  chil- 
dren. The  father  of  Mrs.  Dodge  died  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-seven 
years,  and  the  mother  at  the  age  of  eighty.  In  early  life  they  were  members 
of  the  Methodist  church,  but  later  united  with  the  Society  of  Friends.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge  were  born  three  children,  namely:  Henry,  who  mar- 
ried Millie  Halsey  and  died  August  lo,  1893,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years; 
Rebecca,  who  died  May  5,  1894,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one;  and  James,  who 
was  born  June  4,  1876,  and  is  the  only  one  now  living.  They  have  an 
adopted  daughter,  a  niece  of  Mrs.  Dodge — Josephine  R.,  daughter  of  Robert 
Cronk — who  has  entered  into  the  affections  of  her  foster  parents  and  in  some 
respects  fills  the  place  of  the  loved  ones  they  have  lost.  She  has  made  her 
home  with  them  since  two  years  of  age.  The  family  is  one  of  prominence 
in  the  community  with  whose  interests  they  have  long  been  identified,  and  it 
is  safe  to  say  that  none  are  held  in  higher  esteem  than  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge. 


GEORGE  B.  CLARK,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Clark  is  one  of  the  younger  but  most  able  representatives  of  the 
medical  profession  in  Westchester  county,  having  been  successfully  engaged  in 
practice  at  Armonk  since  the  fall  of  1 894.  He  was  born  in  Germantown,  New 
York,  December  23,  1872,  and  is  a  son  of  Rev.  G.  B.  and  Eunice  E.  (Clear- 
water) Clark.  The.  father,  who  has  for  thirty  years  been  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  conference  of  New  York,  is  also  a  native  of  this  state 
and  the  son  of  Robert  Clark,  a  mechanic.  To  a  limited  extent  the  former 
attended  a  seminary  during  his  youth,  but  his  education  was  mostly  obtained 
through  his  own  unaided  efforts  and  close  application.  Like  all  ministers 
of  his  denomination,  he  has  been  located  at  various  places  and  now  has 
charge  of  the  congregation  at  Edenville,  Orange  county.  New  York.  In  his 
family  were  three  children,  namely:  Ida,  who  died  in  early  life;  George  B., 
our  subject;  and  Charles  J.,  a  civil  engineer  residing  in  Armonk. 

During  his  boyhood  and  youth  Dr.  Clark  accompanied  his  parents  on 
their  removal  from  place  to  place,  his  early  education  being  secured  in  the 
public  schools.  Later  he  attended  the  Hudson  River  Institute,  where  he 
was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1890.  After  spending  six  months  as  a  clerk 
■in  a  drug  store  he  entered  the  medical   department  of  the   Syracuse  Univer- 


592  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

sity,  at  Syracuse,  New  York,  graduating  there  June  14,  1894.  The  following- 
fall  he  came  to  Armonk  and  opened  an  office,  having  since  been  successfully 
engaged  in  the  general  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery  ^t  that  place.  He 
is  the  only  physician  in  the  village,  and  has  established  an  excellent  practice. 
He  has  also  practiced  quite  extensively  in  the  Westchester  county  house, 
and  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  County  Medical  Society.  He  also  belongs 
to  Syracuse  Chapter,  Beta  Theta  Phi,  and  the  Junior  Order  of  American 
Mechanics.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  for  two  years  he  has  most 
capably  filled  the  office  of  town  physician. 

On  the  1 8th  of  September,  1895,  Dr.  Clark  married  Miss  Minnie  Pal- 
mer, of  Armonk,  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Nancy  (Finch)  Palmer,  and  by 
this  union  one  child  has  been  born:  Charles  George.  The  Doctor  is  a  mem- 
ber af  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  while  his  wife  holds  membership  in 
the  Congregational  church,  and  socially  they  are  people  of  prominence  in 
their  community. 

HENRY  A.  REYNOLDS. 

Born  in  the  town  of  Bedford,  Westchester  county.  New  York,  June  17, 
1833,  Henry  A.  Reynolds  was  a  son  of  Daniel  C.  and  Sarah  (Mead)  Rey- 
nolds, both  natives  of  this  county.  The  former  was  born  in  the  village  of 
Cross  River,  August  13,  1812,  and  died  December  30,  1884;  and  the  latter, 
born  February  22,  18 12,  in  Bedford,  died  August  7,  1886.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  Nathaniel  Reynolds,  was  born  August  7,  1782,  at  Cross  River, 
and  died  near  Kensico,  March  13,  1874,  when  in  his  ninety-second  year. 
The  great-grandfather,  also  named  Nathaniel  Reynolds,  was  born  February 
22,  1754,  and  died  September  21,  1843.  His  wife  Hannah  was  born  March 
25.  1759.  and  died  April  11,  1846.  His  maternal  grandfather  was  Zedrick 
Mead  and  the  grandmother,  Nancy  Knapp,  both  of  whom  were  born  in 
Westchester  county.  Both  branches  of  the  family  were  of  English  origin. 
Walter  Mead  was  the  first  of  the  family  to  come  to  America,  and  he  settled 
at  Salem,  Massachusetts,  whence  a  branch  of  the  family  moved  to  this 
county. 

Henry  A.  Reynolds  was  the  only  son  and  surviving  child  of  his  parents. 
An  only  sister,  Nancy  C,  married  Casper  G.  Brower  and  at  her  death  left 
two  daughters,  Ida  and  Grace.  Mr.  Reynolds  attended  school  at  Mount 
Pleasant,  this  state,  and  later  at  Peekskill  Academy,  after  which  he  returned 
to  the  farm,  where  he  remained  until  he  was  twenty-one.  Having  shown  an 
aptitude  for  tools,  he  took  up  the  trade  of  carpenter,  at  which  he  worked 
about  the  home  place,  where  he  remained  with  his  parents  until  their  death. 
Before  their  death  he  came  into  possession  of  the  farm  of  fifty-five  acres, 
which  he  cultivated  during  life.     It  has  long  been  in  good  condition  and  is 


^^^^-^  *^^.^^,Jfe^^ 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  593 

adorned  by  a  fine  residence,  while  tiie  barns  and  outbuildings  have  been  in 
keeping,  and  an  air  of  general  prosperity  and  comfort  still  pervades  it. 

Mr.  Reynolds  was  united  in  matrimony,  December  24,  i860,  to  Miss 
Harriet  Dean  Campbell,  of  Greenburg,  the  second  daughter  of  Stephen  and 
Fannie  (Sniffin)  Campbell.  To  this  union  were  born  three  children, — two. 
sons  and  a  daughter,  as  follows:  Fannie  E.,  wife  of  C.  Booth,  of  Perth 
Amboy,  New  Jersey;  Daniel  C.  and  Herbert  A. 

Mr.  Reynolds  died  February  8,  1899,  and  was  buried  at  Kenisco  ceme- 
tery, after  a  long  period  of  sickness,  although  confined  to  his  house  but  a 
short  time.  He  was  an  earnest  Christian  and  attended  the  Reformed  Pres- 
byterian church  at  Elmsford,  New  York,  while  in  politics  he  was  inde- 
pendent. 

WILLIAM  H.   STOWE,   M.   D. 

An  eminent  physician  and  surgeon  now  located  at  Cross  River,  West- 
chester county.  New  York,  is  Dr.  Stowe,  who  was  born  in  New  Haven,  Con- 
necticut, August  10,  1842,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Sarah  (Lees)  Stowe,  and  was 
reared  in  his  native  place,  preparing  for  college  at  General  Russell's  Colle- 
giate and  Commercial  Institute.  He  laid  aside  his  text-books,  however,  in 
September,  1861.  and  joined  the  boys  in  blue  in  the  defense  of  his  country 
during  the  civil  war.  He  enlisted  in  Company  G,  Sixth  Connecticut  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  but  in  1863  resigned  his  commission  as  lieutenant  and  until  the 
close  of  the  war  served  in  various  departments,  being  in  the  pay  department 
when  the  war  closed  in  1865.  While  with  his  regiment  he  served  in  the  south, 
and  was  in  various  engagements  along  the  southern  coast. 

After  the  war  Dr.  Stowe  studied  law  for  a  time,  and  then  engaged  in 
teaching  in  General  Russell's  Military  School  at  New  Haven,  where  he  remained 
from  1869  until  1888,  conducting  the  school  on  his  own  account  for  the  last 
three  years.  For  ten  years  he  was  also  a  member  of  the  state  military  board 
of  Connecticut.  While  engaged  in  teaching  he  prepared  to  enter  the  med- 
ical profession,  and  in  1888  was  granted  the  degree  of  M.  D.  by  the  medical 
department  of  Yale  College.  For  two  years  he  engaged  in  practice  at  New 
Haven,  and  spent  three  years  in  Pensylvania,  but  in  1894  came  to  his  pres- 
ent location  at  Cross  River,  New  York,  where  he  has  succeeded  in  building 
up  a  large  general  practice.  His  thorough  knowledge  of  medicine  and  his. 
skill  in  surgery  have  won  for  him  the  confidence  of  the  people  to  such  an 
extent  that,  though  comparatively  a  new-comer,  his  success  is  already  an 
assured  fact.  He  holds  membership  in  the  American  Medical  Association, 
the  State  Medical  Society  of  Connecticut,  and  the  Westchester  County  Med- 
ical Society.  He  is  also  connected  with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,, 
and  is  a  worthy  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

38 


594  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

In  1869  Dr.  Stowe  wedded  Miss  Ellen  F.  Read,  who  died  May  29,  1892, 
leaving  four  children,  namely:  Sarah  R.,  nowthewifeof  Frank  E.  Weaver, 
of  Torrington,  Connecticut,  who  is  connected  with  the  Eagle  bicycle  works  at 
Torrington;  Eric  L.,  also  with  the  bicycle  company;  and  William  D.  and 
Dorothea  O.,  at  home. 

MARTIN  F.  MULRdONEY. 

Martin  F.  Mulrooney  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  Yonkers.  He  was  born 
on  the  i6th  of  July,  1867,  being  a  son  of  Patrick  and  Mary  (Corley)  Mul- 
rooney. For  thirty-five  years  the  father  resided  in  this  city,  and  here  he 
died,  in  December,  1891,  at  the  age  of  forty-eight  years.  He  was  a  very 
enthusiastic  Democrat  in  his  political  affiliations  and  was  a  member  of  St. 
Mary's  Roman  Catholic  church.  His  wife  died  in  July,  1886,  at  the  age 
-of  forty-three  years. 

On  attaining  the  regulation  age  Martin  Mulrooney  entered  the  parochia 
•school  of  St.  Mary's  and  then  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city, 
where  he  pursued  his  education  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he  put 
■aside  his  text-books  in  order  to  learn  the  more  difficult  lessons  in  the  school 
of  experience.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  dependent  entirely  upon  his 
■own  efforts  and  whatever  success  he  has  achieved  is  due  entirely  to  his 
industry  and  capable  management.  He  was  first  employed  in  Froehlich's 
stove  factory,  in  Yonkers,  where  he  remained  two  years.  He  completed  his 
apprenticeship  at  the  moulder's  trade  in  the  employ  of  Otis  Brothers  &  Corti- 
pany  and  has  since  been  connected  with  their  extensive  works,  covering  a 
period  of  fifteen  years.  His  long  connection  with  that  firm  well  indicates  his 
superior  workmanship,  his  fidelity  to  duty  and  his  thorough  reliabity.  He 
is  one  of  the  most  trusted  employes  in  the  foundry,  and  well  merits  the  con- 
fidence reposed  in  him. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Mulrooney  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  always 
-taken  a  very  active  interest  in  politics,  being  a  recognized  leader  in  the  ranks 
of  his  party  in  this  locality.  He  was  a  candidate  for  supervisor  from  the 
second  ward  (now  the  fifth  ward),  and  though  defeated  it  was  a  defeat  that 
amounted  almost  to  victory,  for  he  succeeded  in  reducing  the  usual  Repub- 
lican majority  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  votes  to  fourteen.  At  the  following 
election  his  opponent  was  again  candidate  for  the  office  and  received  a  major- 
ity of  five  hundred,  so  that  the  former  election  plainly  indicates  the  personal 
popularity  of  our  subject  and  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  his  fellow 
townsmen.  He  is  vice-chairman  of  the  Democratic  general  committee  of 
Yonkers,  has  served  as  delegate  to  various  county,  congressional,  judicial  and 
assembly  conventions,  and  is  the  recognized  leader  of  the  Democratic  forces 
in  his  ward. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  595 

Mr.  Mulrooney  takes  an  active  interest  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  prog- 
ress and  upbuilding  of  his  city,  and  is  especially  prominent  in  connection 
with  the  fire  department.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Hudson  Hose  Company, 
was  twice  foreman  of  the  Otis  Fire  Brigade,  and  has  represented  the  former 
on  the  board  of  the  fire  department  of  the  city  of  Yonkers.  He  has  been  one 
of  the  most  active  and  efficient  members  of  the  department,  and  has  done 
much  for  its  advancement  and  proficiency. 

In  1887  Mr.  Mulrooney  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Annie  S.  Casey, 
a  daughter  of  Patrick  Casey,  of  Newburg,  New  York,  and  later  of  Matteawan, 
New  York,  and  to  them  have  been  born  three  children:  Frank,  James  and 
Anna.  The  family  are  members  of  the  St.  Mary's  Roman  Catholic  church 
and  Mr.  Mulrooney  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  the  Foresters  of 
America  and  the  Otis  Mutual  Aid  Society. 


ALBERT  A.  ULTCHT. 


Practical  men  like  the  subject  of  this  sketch  are  the  only  real  builders  of 
the  institutions  of  civilization;  and  Mr.  Ultchtis  not  only  to  be  classed  among 
the  builders  but  even  in  the  front  rank  of  the  builders,  possibly  the  first  one 
in  that  rank  in  Mount  Vernon.  In  both  material  and  spiritual  matters  he  has 
been  remarkably  efficient. 

Mr.  Ultcht  was  born  June  5,  1862,  in  Dutchess  county,  New  York. 
His  father,  Augustus  S.  Ultcht,  was  a  native  of  Germany,  served  in  the  Saxon 
wars  and  thereafter  came  to  America.  He  was  a  man  of  good  education  and 
natural  ability,  and  located  in  the  town  of  Stanford,  Dutchess  county,  this 
state,  where  he  became  extensively  and  successfully  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  and  accumulated  considerable  property.  In  his  politics  he  was  in 
general  a  Democrat,  but  an  independent  thinker  and  voter.  In  his  religion- 
he  was  a  Lutheran  in  the  Fatherland,  but  in  this  country  was  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  He  was  born  May  14,  1827,  and  died  on  his  home 
farm,  in  February,  1897,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years;  and  his  wife,  Augusta, 
who  was  born  October  21,  1828,  departed  this  life  February  26,  1876.  They 
had  seven  children:  The  first  died  in  infancy,  unnamed;  Charles  P.,  August, 
Samuel,  Albert  A.,  Minnie,  Henrietta  Millus  and  Mary  Cables. 

Mr.  Albert  A.  Ultcht  was  fourteen  years  of  age  when  his  mother  died;  he 
■afterward  found  employment  on  a  farm  until  sixteen  years  old,  when  he 
began  to  learn  the  mason's  trade,  serving  a  three-years  apprenticeship;  and 
at  this  trade  he  was  employed  six  years  at  Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  and  he 
■continued  as  a  journeyman  at  the  trade  until  1889,  when  he  became  associ- 
ated with  Frank  G.  Bruce,  forming  the  firm  of  Bruce  &  Ultcht,  contractors 
and  builders;  but  this  partnership  was  terminated  at  the  end  of  a  year,  and 


596        ■  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

since  then  Mr.  Ultcht  has  operated  alone.  His  offices  are  at  No.  1 1  South 
Third  avenue,  Mount  Vernon,  New  York.  Although  the  building  interest 
has  been  rather  dull  in  Mount  Vernon  for  some  time,  Mr.  Ultcht  has  all  the 
contracts  he  can  handle,  employing  sometimes  as  many  as  seventy-five  men. 
He  is  careful,  conservative  and  faithful  to  all  promises,  is  industrious,  ener- 
getic and  wide-awake — indeed  one  of  the  most  enterprising  citizens  of  the  city 
of  Mount  Vernon. 

Mr.  Ultcht  takes  great  interest  in  public  affairs,  in  which  he  exerts  a 
powerful  influence,  in  national  affairs  being  a  Democrat  and  in  local  interests 
independent.  He  is  now  serving  his  second  term  as  a  member  of  the  board 
of  aldermen,  representing  the  first  ward,  to  which  office  he  was  elected  by 
a  majority  larger  than  the  total  nnmber  of  votes  received  by  his  opponent. 
He  is  considered  one  of  the  most  aggressive  and  important  members  of  the 
board — in  fact,  the  leader.  To  the  interests  of  his  city  he  has  devoted  a 
great  deal  of  time  and  labor.  He  is  an  influential  member  of  the  Firemen's 
Association,  having  served  five  years  in  the  fire  department  of  the  city,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Firemen's  Benevolent  Association,  and  the  East  Side 
Improvement  Association.  In  the  fraternal  orders  he  holds  membership  in 
Hiawatha  Lodge,  No.  434,  F.  &A.  M. ;  Einheit  Lodge,  No.  461,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  Guiding  Star  Lodge,  No.  3,  of  the  Encampment 
of  the  latter  order.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Mount  Vernon  City  Club,  Mount 
Vernon  Bicycle  Club,  and  an  honorary  member  of  the  Board  of  Trade.  In 
religion  he  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Mount  Vernon, 
which  was  organized  in  1895.  For  the  house  of  worship  of  this  denomination 
he  purchased  the  site  and  at  his  own  risk  and  responsibility  erected  the  build- 
ing, in  1897,  and  the  church  has  already  paid  for  it.  He  may  therefore  be 
considered  the  leader  in  the  interests  of  his  church  at  Mount  Vernon.  He 
.is  also  a  member  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association. 

June  21,  1884,  is  the  date  of  Mr.  Ultcht's  union  in  matrimony  with 
Miss  Elizabeth  E.  Terwilliger  (daughter  of  William  and  Glorianna  (Wy- 
gant)  Terwilliger,  and  they  have  two  children, — William  Albert  and  Floyd 
Stanley. 

ALFRED  LAWRENCE. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  residents  of  Tarrytown,  New  York,  is  Alfred 
Lawrence,  a  brief  biography  of  whom  follows.  Mr.  Lawrence  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Mary  Lawrence,  and  was  born  in  New  York  city,  June  15,  1809. 
There  his  grandfather  lived  and  there  his  father,  who  was  a  lawyer  and  a 
public  man,  was  born,  his  death  occurring  in  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  of 
yellow  fever.     John  and  Mary  Lawrence  had  but  one  child,  our  subject. 

When  his  father  died  Alfred  Lawrence  was  but  a  mere  lad.    He  attended 


>^-C^^Xj^^t^^^Ck:yC^^^tJ^^^ 


0.'^'^<v^t.-C^^--3't_^         t/^O 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  597 

the  old  Duane  street  school,  where  many  since  eminent  New  Yorkers 
received  their  primary  education,  and  when  he  was  old  enough  learned  the 
trade  of  horse-shoeing,  at  which  he  busied  himself  three  years.  Then  he 
went  to  boating  between  New  York  and  Albany  and  became  a  captain,  being 
well  known  along  the  lower  Hudson.  For  fifteen  years  he  was  thus  employed 
and  then  located  at  Tarrytown  and  engaged  in  marketing  and  the  saloon 
business.  Later  he  became  a  popular  hotel-keeper,  and  as  such  for  nearly 
half  a  century  greeted  those  who  came  to  Tarrytown. 

Mr.  Lawrence  was  an  old-time  Democrat,  and,  as  events  proved,  a  war 
Democrat.  He  took  an  active  interest  in  politics  as  a  young  man,  and  an 
even  more  active  interest  in  fighting  fire.  He  had  been  a  member  of  the 
"Old  Fourteenth"  engine  company  of  New  York  city,  with  headquarters  at 
Vesey  and  Church  streets,  and  had  done  gallant  service  with  "Old  Number 
One."  He  was  the  organizer  of  the  fire  department  at  Tarrytown,  and  his 
experience  in  New  York, —  including  that  at  the  great  fire  which,  on  Decem- 
ber i6,  1835,  burned  out  a  block  opening  from  Broadway  to  the  East  river, — 
was  useful  in  that  work  and  in  the  active  operations  which  naturally  fol- 
lowed as  occasion  demanded.  He  gathered  the  original  Phoenix  Company 
together  and  then,  at  his  own  expense,  secured  for  "the  boys"  an  engine 
from  Syracuse.  It  cost  six  hundred  dollars,  but  he  did  not  stop  working  and 
giving  until  a  suitable  engine-house  was  erected.  When  the  department  was 
reorganized,  in  1861,  he  was  elected  its  chief,  and  he  held  that  office  most 
efficiently  for  many  years,  except  while  in  military  service  in  the  south. 
For  several  years  he  was  chief  of  police  at  Tarrytown. 

May  31,  i86r,  Mr.  Lawrence  enlisted  in  Company  H,  Thirty-second 
New  York  Volunteers,  and  his  oldest  son,  Henry  A.  Lawrence,  enlisted  with 
him.  The  regiment  proceeded  to  Washington,  thence  to  Alexandria,  and 
was  soon  at  the  front.  At  Bull  Run,  young  Lawrence,  who  had  been  pro- 
moted to  sergeant,  was  wounded  and  later  perished  by  fire  as  he  lay  helpless 
on  the  field!  The  fire  company  he  had  organized  at  Tarrytown  formed  the 
nucleus  of  Company  H  and  contributed  thirty  members  to  it.  Mr.  Lawrence 
was  made  sergeant  at  the  beginning.  He  was  promoted  to  be  second  lieu- 
tenant June  12,  1862,  and  to  the  first  lieutenancy  of  the  company  March  20, 
1863.  He  was  mustered  out  of  service  June  9,  following.  He  was  in  the 
Second  Brigade,  Fifth  Division  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  until  Octo- 
ber 15,  1861;  in  the  Third  Brigade,  Fifth  Division  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac until  May,  1862;  in  the  Second  Brigade,  First  Division,  Sixth  Corps  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  until  May,  1563, — almost  at  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  service.  He  participated  in  duty  in  the  vicinity  of  Washington  and 
at  Fairfax  Court  House,  in  the  Blackburn's  Ford  affair,  in  the  memorable 
Bull  Run  fight,  in  the  skirmish  near  Munson  Hill  and  in  that  at  Annandale, 


598  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

in  the  Peninsula  campaign,  in  the  siege  of  Yorktown,  in  the  expedition  to 
West  Point  and  in  the  engagement  at  West  Point,  in  the  affairs  at  Barbours- 
ville  and  Ethan's  Landing,  in  the  seven-days  battles  before  Richmond,  in  the 
engagements  at  Gaines'  Mills,  Gamett's  and  Golding's  Farms,  Savage  Station, 
White  Oak  Swamp,  Malvern  Hill,  Bakersville,  South  Mountain,  Antietam, 
Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville,  Mayer's  Heights,  Salem  Church  and  inter- 
mediate points,  doing  soldiers'  duty  in  camp,  on  the  field  of  battle  and  on 
many  long  and  weary  marches. 

Mr.  Lawrence  is  an  active  and  enthusiastic  G.  A.  R.  man  and  was  a 
member  of  Acker  Post,  of  Tarrytown,  until  it  was  disbanded,  and  since  then 
he  has  been  a  member  of  Kitching  Post,  of  Yonkers.  He  has  been  for  many 
years  identified  with  the  Masonic  order.  He  has  in  his  posession  a  badge  of 
the  Richmond,  Virginia,  chief  of  police  which  was  taken  off  the  coat  of  that 
officer  during  the  war  at  Morrisonville,  near  Richmond. 

Mr.  Lawrence  was  married,  in  August,  1841,  to  Emily  Minnerly,  of 
Mount  Pleasant,  who  died  July  17,  1878,  and  who  bore  him  the  following 
named  children:  Edward  A.,  who  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness; 
Henry  A.,  who  is  deceased;  Louisa,  wife  of  Wilson  Acker,  ticket  agent  for 
the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  Company,  in  New  York 
city;  Peter,  of  Tarrytown,  who  married  Rebecca  Knapp,  died  June  5,  1899; 
Sarah,  wife  of  John  McNally,  postmaster  of  Sing  Sing;  Alfred,  Jr.,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  fifteen;  and  George  and  Nellie,  who  died  in  infancy.  August  5, 
1885,  Mr.  Lawrence  married  Emeline  (Cole)  Lake,  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Aletta  Cole,  of  Pleasant  Valley,  Dutchess  county.  Mr.  Cole  was  a  farmer 
of  prominence,  and  he  died  in  1852,  aged  sixty-one.  By  his  present  wife, 
Mr.  Lawrence  has  no  children.  Mrs.  Lawrence's  family  is  well  known  in 
this  part  of  the  state.  One  of  her  sisters  was  Mrs.  Euphemia  Bishop;  another 
is  Mrs.  Susan  Ann  King,  a  widow;  a  third  is  Mrs.  Mary  Lake,  of  Yonkers. 
By  her  marriage  with  Jeremiah  Lake,  deceased,  Mrs.  Lawrence  has  four 
children:  Emma,  Mrs.  William  DeRevere,  Mrs.  Cornell  and  Mrs.  Mollie 
Beesmer. 


JAMES  D.  McCABE. 
"  The  proper  study  of  mankind  is  man,"  said  Pope,  and  aside  from  this, 
in  its  broader  sense,  what  base  of  study  and  information  have  we.'  Genealog- 
ical research,  then,  has  its  value, — be  it  in  the  tracing  of  an  obscure  and 
broken  line  or  the  following  back  of  the  course  of  a  noble  and  illustrious 
lineage  whose  men  have  been  valorous,  whose  women  of  gentle  refinement. 
We  of  this  end-of-the-century,  democratic  type  cannot  afford  to  scoff  at  or 
hold  in  light  esteem  the  bearing  up  of  a  'scutcheon  upon  whose  fair  face 
appears  no  sign  of  blot;  and  he  should  thus  be  the  more  honored  who  honors 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  599 

a  noble  name  and  the  memory  of  noble  deeds.  The  lineage  of  the  subject 
of  this  review  is  one  of  the  most  distinguished  and  interesting  order,  and  no 
apology  need  be  made  in  reverting  to  this  in  connection  with  the  individual 
accomplishments  of  the  subject  himself. 

The  paternal  great-grandfather,  James  McCabe,  was  a  native  of  Scot- 
land and  served  as  a  trooper  under  Prince  William  of  Orange  in  a  war 
against  the  king  of  Ireland.  John  McCabe,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
was  born  on  the  Emerald  Isle  at  Tanderagee,  county  Armagh,  where  the 
family  lived  until  it  was  transplanted  to  American  soil  by  James  McCabe,  th& 
father  of  James  D.,  who  established  the  old  McCabe  homestead  in  the  town, 
of  Scarsdale,  Westchester  county.  New  York.  There  he  spent  his  remaining 
days.  He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  Donovan,  who  was  born  in  this 
country,  where  her  maternal  ancestors  (the  Kipps  and  Fishers)  have  resided 
since  the  year  1630.  Her  father  belonged  to  one  of  the  distingnished  families 
of  the  Emerald  Isle,  whose  ancestry  has  been  traced  back  in  Burk's  History 
of  the  Landed  Gentry  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  to  the  year  960,  and  the 
line  embraces  earls  and  other  members  of  the  nobility.  They  owned  a  very 
extensive  estate  in  Ireland,  and  were  possessors  of  much  wealth.  The  great- 
grandfather of  our  subject  was  Edward  Donovan,  of  the  Ballymore  estate 
near  Dublin,  Ireland,  who  wedded  Mary  Broughton,  of  Maidstone,  Kent,  Eng- 
land, whose  mother  was  Mary  Ogle,  only  daughter  of  Samuel  Ogle,  Esq. ,  a  mem- 
ber of  parliament  for  Berwick,  England.  He  was  also  governor  of  the  Mary- 
land colony  from  1732  to  1733,  from  1735  to  1742.  One  of  the  sons  of 
Edward  and  Mary  Donovan  was  the  Rev.  George  Ogle  Donovan,  who  was 
born  in  the  city  of  Dublin  and  was  educated  at  Kings  College,  Dublin,  and 
studied  for  th«  ministry  of  the  Established  Church  of  England,  but  afterward 
left  that  church,  became  a  Wesleyan  preacher  and  traveled  for  seven  years  in 
Ireland  under  a  license  from  John  Wesley.  He  then  came  to  the  United 
States  and  took  an  active  part  in  furthering  the  cause  of  Methodism  in  this 
country,  as  a  local  preacher,  and  about  1797  he  located  at  Jamaica,  Long 
Island.  He  married  Mary  Devereux,  who  was  born  in  New  York  city,  but 
was  of  French  descent.  Her  ancestors,  De  Evereux,  removed  from  France 
to  England,  on  account  of  the  religious  persecution  in  the  former  land,  and 
they  were  married  in  Wexford,  Ireland.  Her  father  was  Captain  James 
Devereux,  a  shipping  merchant,  who  owned  the  vessels  which  he  sailed 
and  their  cargoes,  and  sailed  under  the  British  flag.  His  home  at  this  time 
was  in  New  York  city.  He  made  voyages  between  Liverpool,  New  York  and 
West  Indies.  At  the  time  of  the  American  Revolution  he  was  a  loyalist  and 
was  three  times  captured  and  held  as  a  prisoner  of  war  by  the  colonial  troops. 
One  of  the  two  daughters  of  George  and  Mary  (Devereux)  Donovan  was 
Mary,  who  became  the  wife  of  James  McCabe.      She  was  born  May  2,  l799^ 


600  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

in  Jamaica,  Long  Island,  and  died  in  the  old  home  at  Scarsdale,  April  i6, 
1887.     The  other  daughter  was  Phebe,  who  died  a  spinster. 

The  father  of  our  subject  passed  away  February  26,  1855,  his  wife  long 
surviving  him.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children:  Mary  J.,  who  died 
November  7,  1892;  James  D. ;  Phcebe  A. ,  who  departed  this  life  May  15, 
1892;  Ellen  A.,  who  resides  with  her  brother  at  the  old  home;  and  George 
D.  died  when  an  infant. 

At  the  old  family .  homestead  in  the  town  of  Scarsdale,  Westchester 
county,  James  D.  McCabe  was  born,  December  16,  1826.  He  spent  his 
boyhood  on  the  farm  and  was  sent  to  the  district  school  of  the  neighborhood, 
where  he  acquired  a  fair  English  education.  For  many  years  he  successfully 
carried  on  agricultural  pursuits,  and  though  he  has  now  retired  from  that 
vocation  he  is  still  the  owner  of  fifty  acres  of  rich  and  valuable  land.  He 
extended  the  field  of  his  endeavors  by  becoming  agent  for  several  fire-insur- 
ance companies  and  for  some  years  past  has  given  his  attention  to  the  fire- 
insurance  business. 

March  12,  1861,  J.  D.  McCabe  was  united  in  marriage  to'Miss  Sarah  E. 
Fish,  only  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Fish.  She  died  May  6,  1864,  leaving 
a  son,  Edward  Devereux,  who  married  Miss  Madeline  B.  Kipp,  a  daughter 
of  George  O.  Kipp,  and  resides  in  Brooklyn. 

In  pohtics  Mr.  McCabe  is  a  stanch  Jeffersonian  Democrat,  firm  in  his 
allegiance  to  the  national  principles  of  his  party.  For  several  years  he  was 
justice  of  the  peace  and  for  some  time  was  also  assessor  of  the  town  of 
Scarsdale.  His  time  is  now  given  to  the  management  of  his  business  and 
property  interests.  His  entire  life  has  been  spent  in  this  locality,  and  that 
the  acquaintances  of  his  youth  are  numbered  among  the  friends  of  his  man- 
hood stands  in  unmistakable  evidence  of  an  honorable  career. 


JOHN  H.    TREMPER. 


For  thirty-eight  years  John  Henry  Tremper  has  been  connected  with  the 
business  of  Yonkers,  and  he  to-day  occupies  in  commercial  circles  an  honored 
place  accorded  him  by  reason  of  his  straightforward  dealing,  his  enterprise 
and  his  diligence.  A  native  of  the  Empire  state,  he  was  born  in  Clarkstown, 
Rockland  county,  July  20,  1837,  and  is  a  son  of  Harmann  and  Eliza  Ann 
(Bell)  Tremper.  Although  the  history  of  the  origin  of  the  family  is  lost  in 
the  remote  regions  of  antiquity,  the  following  record  of  the  family  to  which 
the  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  belonged  is  authentic;  Christiana,  the 
eldest  child,  was  born  October  31,  1732,  was  baptized  on  the  nth  of  Novem- 
ber following  and  married  Ebenezer  Wood;  Anna  Christine,  born  September 
13.  1735.  was  followed  by  Margretje,  born  February  8,  1737;  John  Jacob, 


fii/i^  /&  (^■v.e^T^yi/A^e^ 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  601 

TDorn  April  28,  1739;  Elizabeth,  born  April  5,  1741;  William,  born  July  13, 
1743;  Harmann,  born  September  15,  1745;  John,  born  November  21,  1747; 
and  Johannas  Jerry,  born  June  13,  1751.  The  paternal  grandfather  of  our 
subject  was  a  farmer  of  Clarkstown,  New  York,  and  in  his  political  views  was 
a  Democrat.  He  had  nine  children:  Rebecca,  Sallie,  Maggie,  Elizabeth, 
Mrs.  Myder,  Hance,  Jacob,  Peter  and  Harmann. 

The  last  named,  Harmann  Tremper,  was  born  at  Clarkstown,  New  York, 
December  25.  1784,  and  died  March  5,  1861.  He  learned  the  weaver's  trade 
and  followed  that  pursuit  in  connection  with  farming.  He  served  his  country 
in  the  war  of  181 2,  and  was  afterward  granted  a  pension  in  recognition  of  the 
aid  he  rendered  the  nation.  He  was  married  to  EHza  Ann  Bell  December  31, 
1802,  and  to  them  were  born  nine  children:  Catherine,  wife  of  Joseph  Daniels; 
•George  R. ,  who  wedded  Mary  E.  Town,  Hannah  Maria,  wife  of  Harman  Hoff- 
man, who  was  engaged  in  the  ice  business  at  Rockland  Lake,  New  York,  and 
died  March  12,  1889,  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine  years;  Harvey,  who  died  in 
1848,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years;  Abraham,  who  died  August  11,  1883,  at  the 
age  of  forty-seven  years;  John  H.,  of  this  review;  Eliza  Ann,  wife  of  Ebenezer 
Hazzard;  Harriet,  wife  of  John  Rogers;  and  Emily,  who  died  September  9, 
1847. 

In  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  John  H.  Tremper  acquired  his 
■education,  but  put  aside  his  text-books  whon  fourteen  years  of  age  in  order 
to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  followed  for  seventeen  years.  In 
1 86 1  he  came  to  Yonkers,  where  he  engaged  in  carpentering  for  some  years, 
but  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  has  dealt  in  ice,  and  has  become  one  of  the 
leading  merchants  in  his  line  in  the  city.  He  formerly  owned  a  pond  from 
which  he  took  the  ice,  but  now  deals  in  Hudson  river  ice.  His  trade  con- 
stantly increasing,  has  demanded  six  wagons  with  which  to  deliver  ice  to  his 
patrons,  and  his  business  thus  grew  to  large  proportions.  As  his  financial 
resources  have  increased  he  has  made-  judicious  investments  in  real  estate, 
and  is  now  the  owner  of  considerable  valuable  property  both  improved  and 
and  unimproved,  including  a  fine  residence. 

On  the  3rd  of  January,  1863,  Mr.  Tremper  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Frances  Tompkins,  a  daughter  of  William  S.  Tompkins,  a  celebrated 
drum  manufacturer,  residing  in  Yonkers.  Their  union  has  been  blessed  with 
five  children:  Fannie  E. ,  wife  of  John  S.  Hoyt,  an  official  in  the  armory 
at  the  Battery,  in  New  York  city,  but  a  resident  of  Yonkers;  George  R. ,  who 
married  Gertrude  King  and  is  in  the  ice  business  in  Yonkers;. Louise  T.,  Ella 
B.  and  Mary  A.,  at  home. 

Mr.  Tremper  gives  his  political  support  to  the  men  and  measures  of  the 
Republican  party,  with  which  he  has  affiliated  since  attaining  his  majority. 
He  feels  a  deep  interest  in  its  success  and  keeps  well  informed  on  the  issues 


602  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

of  the  day,  but  has  never  sought  office,  preferring  to  devote  his  time 
and  energies  to  the  management  of  his  business  interests.  He  is  a  man  of 
marked  business  and  executive  ability,  and  from  the  time  when  he  started  out 
to  learn  carpentering,  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  he  has  steadily  advanced,  until 
he  now  occupies  a  leading  position  in  commercial  circles  in  Yonkers.  His 
course  has  ever  been  characterized  by  strict  adherence  to  duty  and  the  right, 
and  he  enjoys  the  public  confidence  in  a  high  degree.  The  family  attend  the 
Reformed  church  in  Yonkers. 


MICHAEL  HENRY  REAGAN. 

This  well  known  Democratic  politician  of  Yonkers  is  a  native  of  this- 
place,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  the  old  third  ward,  February  2,  1853. 
His  parents  were  Patrick  and  Johanna  (Monahan)  Reagan,  the  father  a  native 
of  county  Kerry,  Ireland.  After  his  marriage  he  came  to  the  United  States, 
and  for  years  was  the  flagman  and  agent  at  Glenwood  Station,  this  city,  and 
later  was  employed  at  the  local  gas-works  plant.  He  was  a  Republican  and 
was  a  hero  of  the  civil  war,  his  life  being  offered  up  as  a  sacrifice  to  the  land 
of  his  adoption.  He  served  in  the  Sixth  New  York  Heavy  Artillery,  under 
command  of  Captain  Meyer,  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness. 
Mr.  Reagan  was  wounded  in  the  ankle  and  was  left  for  two  days  and  two 
nights  on  the  battle-field,  and  while  being  conveyed  to  Richmond,  as  a 
prisoner,  died  in  the  hands  of  his  captors,  his  sufferings  and  exposure  to  the 
elements  having  proved  too  much  for  even  his  strong  constitution.  He  was 
a  brave  soldier  and  had  participated  in  numerous  other  engagements  and 
battles.  Religiously,  he  was  a  Roman  Catholic,  belonging  to  St.  Mary's 
parish.  His  widow  died  in  1876,  aged  about  forty-two  years.  Of  their  chil- 
dren, Ellen  is  the  wife  of  Martin  Coyne;  Mary  died  when  young;  Arthur  is  the 
next  in  order  of  birth;  and  Catherine. Murphy  and  Margaret  are  deceased. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  St.  Mary's  old  and  new  parochial 
schools  in  the  city,  and  also  went  to  the  public  grammar  school  No.  6.  He 
left  his  studies  at  an  early  age  and  commenced  the  struggle  for  a  livelihood. 
For  some  years  he  worked  in  a  silk  mill,  and  by  the  time  he  was  sixteen 
occupied  the  very  responsible  position  of  foreman  of  the  spinning-room.  He 
was  with  the  firm,  W.  B.  Copcutt,  for  about  five  years  in  the  capacity  men- 
tioned, and  gave  general  satisfaction.  He  mastered  the  trade  of  hat-finisher, 
and  has  filled  the  place  of  superintendent  of  this  special  department  with 
several  large  concerns  in  Reading,  Pennsylvania,  continuing  in  that  line  of 
business  up  to  1887.  He  then  returned  to  this  city,  and  on  the  site  of  the 
old  homestead  built  a  substantial  business  block.  Here  he  embarked  in  gen- 
eral merchandising,  and  carried  a  special  line  of  sea  food. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  60B 

For  a  quarter  of  a  century  Mr.  Reagan  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians,  and  was  prominently  connected  with  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Division  No.  14,  one  of  the  strongest  lodges  in  the  county 
to-day.  He  has  been  treasurer  of  the  same  since  its  organization,  about  ten 
years  ago.  For  two  consecutive  terms  he  was  the  chairman,  and  for  a 
period  the  treasurer,  of  a  volunteer  fire  company,  but  has  served  out  his  time 
and  is  now  an  honorary  member  and  belongs  to  the  Exempt  Firemen's  Asso- 
ciation. He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Columbia  Hook  &  Ladder  Com- 
pany, No.  2.  In  the  local  Democratic  ranks  he  has  always  been  an 
important  factor  since  he  arrived  at  his  majority;  has  been  a  delegate  to 
various  conventions,  and  is  a  member  of  the  general  committee  of  his  party 
hereabouts.  In  1898  he  was  a  candidate  on  the  independent  ticket  for 
alderman  from  the  sixth  ward,  and  won  against  a  very  strong  Democratic 
vote.  There  are  thirteen  hundred  and  fifty-six  voters  in  this  ward;  twelve 
hundred  votes  were  polled,  and  of  these  he  received  a  majority  of  fifty-six 
votes.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Holy  Name  Society  of  St.  Joseph's  Catholic 
church,  and  is  a  member  of  the  church,  as  well. 

In  1878  Mr.  Reagan  married  Anna  Bach,  and  of  their  eleven  children 
seven  are  living,  namely:  Margaret,  Ellen,  Michael,  Mamie,  Catherine, 
Julia  and  Rose.      This  worthy  couple  have  also  adopted  a  son,  John  Murphy. 


WILLIAM  MORTON,  Jr. 


This  prosperous  business  man  of  Croton,  New  York,  has  been  a  resident 
of  Croton  all  his  life.  He  was  born  here  November  11,  1847,  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Eliza  J.  (Sherwood)  Morton. 

The  Mortons  have  long  been  identified  with  Westchester  county.  Will- 
iam Morton,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Somerstown,  this  county, 
in  18 12,  and  was  for  forty  years  a  freighter  on  the  Hudson  river,  owning  a 
line  of  sailing  craft  that  ran  between  Croton  and  New  York  city.  He  was 
well  known  and  highly  respected  here.  He  died  in  1883,  at  the  age  of  seven- 
ty-two years.  His  parents  were  William  and  Chloe  Ann  (Teed)  Morton. 
William  Morton,  the  elder,  was  a  farmer.  He  was  born  in  the  north  of  Ire- 
land, and  came  to  America  in  1780,  locating  in  Westchester  county.  New 
York.  He  married,  in  Somerstown,  Miss  Chloe  Ann  Teed,  a  native  of  New 
York,  and  to  them  were  born  four  children,  namely:  William,  father  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  John,  a  resident  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  now  eighty- 
four  years  of  age;  George,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty;  and  Chloe,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two.  As  far  back  as  their  history  is  traced  the 
family  have  been  stanch  Methodists.  The  grandfather  of  our  subject  built 
a  Methodist  church  at  Mount  Airy,  New  York.     William  and  Eliza  J.  (Sher- 


604  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

wood)  Morton  had  nine  children,  namely:  Chloe  Ann,  deceased  wife  of 
Ebenezer  Fowler;  Eliza  J.,  wife  of  Isenhort  Flewellyn;  George,  a  resident 
of  Peekskill,  New  York,  successor  to  his  father  in  the  freighting  business; 
John,  a  resident  of  New  York  city,  is  by  occupation  a  brickmaker;  William, 
whose  name  forms  the  heading  of  this  article;  Sherwood,  a  pilot,  has  his 
residence  at  Croton;  Frank,  deceased;  Maria  L.,  wife  of  J.  G.  Miller,  of 
Sing  Sing,  New  York;  and  Ella,  widow  of  George  W.  Barmore. 

After  finishing  his  schooling  Mr.  William  Morton  engaged  in  boating 
with  his  father  on  the  Hudson  river,  and  was  thus  occupied  until  he  reached 
his  majority.  He  then  entered  the  employ  of  Cyrus  Frost,  a  merchant  of 
Croton,  with  whom  he  remained  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  that  time  going 
into  business  for  himself,  and  entering  upon  a  career  that  has  proved  a  most 
successful  one.  He  began  with  a  small  stock  of  goods  purchased  with  money 
he  had  earned  by  his  own  efforts,  and  with  no  aid  he  has  pushed  forward  to 
the  marked  success  he  has  achieved.  From  time  to  time  he  has  made  valu- 
able investments  with  his  surplus.  He  has  bought  property  and  erected  a 
number  of  dwellings  in  the  town  and  in  this  way  has  he  done  much  to  pro- 
mote the  growth  of  Croton.  Politically  he  is  an  ardent  Democrat,  and  a 
number  of  local  offices  have  been  ably  filled  by  him.  Fraternally  he  affiliates 
•with  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men. 

Mr.  Morton  was  married  in  1872  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Grattan,  daughter  of 
John  and  Mary  Grattan,  and  their  happy  union  has  been  blessed  in  the  birth 
of  ten  children,  all  now  at  home,  namely:  Ahce,  Grace,  Frank,  Elizabeth, 
Minnie,  Robert,  Arthur,  Albert,  Gertrude  and  Esther.  He  and  his  family 
are  members  of  the  Episcopal  church,  of  which  he  is  a  vestryman. 


JAMES  F.  MERRITT. 


This  well-known  and  highly  esteemed  citizen  of  Bedford  township, 
Westchester  county,  has  accomplished  a  most  satisfactory  work  as  a  farmer 
and  has  succeeded  in  accumulating  a  valuable  estate.  He  was  born  on  the 
20th  of  May,  1820,  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  and  is  descended 
from  good  old  Revolutionary  stock,  his  grandfather,  John  Merritt,  also  a 
native  of  this  county,  having  aided  the  colonies  in  their  successful  struggle 
for  independence.  Both  he  and  his  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Sarah  Miller,  died  in  Westchester  county.  Their  children  were  David, 
Stephen,  John  and  Ruth,  now  Mrs.  Elliott  Smith. 

John  Merritt,  Jr.,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Bedford  township, 
and  on  reaching  manhood  married  Miss  Hannah  Gregory,  daughter  of  Stephen 
and  Chloe  Gregory,  whose  family  also  was  represented  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.     Six  children  were  born  to  John  and  Hannah  Merritt,  namely:     Mrs. 


OUi^-lyU^ 


"jrJuJu^ 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  605 

Ruth   A.    Timberman;  Mrs.    Phoebe   Newman;  Chloe,    wife   of  Colonel   E. 
Avery,  a  state  officer;  James   F.,  our  subject;  and   Norman   and   Caroline^ 
both  deceased.     The  father,  who  was  a  farmer  by  occuption,  a  Democrat  in 
politics,  and  a  Methodist  in  religious  belief,  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years, 
and  his  estimable  wife  passed  away  at  the  age  of  eighty-six. 

James  F.  Merritt  was  reared  to  rural  Hfe,  his  education  being  obtained 
in  the  public  schools  near  his  boyhood  home.  Throughout  his  business 
career  he  has  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  with  marked  success,  and  is 
now  the  owner  of  several  fine  farms,  known  as  the  Newman,  the  Daniel 
Bouton,  the  John  Banks,  and  also  a  part  of  the  Peter  Miller  farm  and  a  part 
of  the  Alva  Miller  farm,  aggregating  over  four  hundred  acres,  most  of  which 
are  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  well  improved.  In  connectio  n 
with  general  farming  he  has  been  interested  in  stock-raising  and  the  milk 
business  for  forty-eight  years,  and  in  these  branches  of  his  business  has  also 
met  with  success. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-six,  Mr.  Merritt  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Lucy  A.  Whitlock,  a  daughter  of  John  B.  and  Rachel  (Umsted)  Whitlock, 
of  Whitlockville,  and  by  this  union  two  children  have  been  born:  John  B., 
who  married  Phoebe  Teed,  and  has  one  child,  Ella  Maud;  and  Ella,  wife  of 
Isaac  Turner,  of  Bedford  township,  this  county.  For  over  half  a  century 
this  worthy  couple  have  traveled  life's  journey  together,  sharing  with  each 
other  its  joys  and  sorrows,  its  adversity  and  prosperity,  and  now  in  their 
declining  years  they  are  surrounded  by  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances who  esteem  them  highly  for  their  genuine  worth.  He  is  an  earnest 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  in  politics  Mr.  Merritt  is  a 
Democrat;  and  she  is  a  member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church. 


REV.   WILLIAM  B.  WALLER. 

William  Bradley  Waller  is  one  who  has  done  much  and  done  it  well, — 
wherein  all  honor  lies.  A  man  of  ripe  scholarship  and  marked  executive 
ability,  his  life  has  been  consecrated  to  the  cause  of  the  Master  and  to  the 
uplifting  of  men.  He  has  devoted  himself  without  ceasing  to  the  interests 
of  humanity  and  to  the  furtherance  of  all  good  works.  His  reputation  is  not 
of  a  restricted  order,  and  his  power  and  influence  in  his  holy  office  have  been 
exerted  in  a  spirit  of  deepest  human  sympathy  and  tender  solicitude. 

Rev.  Waller  was  born  in  Berwick,  Pennsylvania,  June  24,  1848,  a  son 
of  William  Lindsley  and  Louisa  (Bonham)  Waller.  His  father  was  for  forty 
years  a  ruling  elder  in  the  New  York  Avenue  Presbyterian  church,  of  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. ,  in  which  city  the  son  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  childhood 
and  youth.     His  preliminary  education  was    supplemented    by  a  course  in 


606  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

Princeton  College,  in  which  institution  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of 
1869.  He  afterward  engaged  in  teaching  for  a  year  and  then  returning 
to  Princeton  pursued  a  course  in  the  Theological  Seminary,  in  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1873.  On  the  19th  of  February  of  the  following  year 
he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  by  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  North; 
and  during  his  ministerial  service  of  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  has 
occupied  but  two  regular  pastorates.  In  1876  he  became  pastor  of  the  newly 
organized  Green  Ridge  Avenue  Presbyterian  church,  in  Scranton,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  remained  until  1882,  when  he  accepted  a  call  from  the  First 
Presbyterian  church,  of  New  Rochelle.  Here  he  has  remained  continuously 
since  as  the  beloved  pastor  of  that  congregation.  The  church  is  one  of  the 
oldest  in  the  Empire  state.  It  practically  had  its  origin  at  the  time  of  the 
Huguenot  landing  in  Echo  bay,  in  1687.  Like  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  who  had 
landed  at  Plymouth  nearly  seventy  years  before,  they  brought  their  church 
with  them  fully  organized,  and  on  the  first  Sunday  which  they  spent  in  the 
the  New  World  their  pastor.  Rev.  David  de  Bonrepos,  called  his  peo- 
ple about  him  in  divine  worship.  Exiled  from  their  beloved  La  Rochelle, 
these  French  Protestants  named  the  new  town  which  they  founded  in  Amer- 
ica after  their  old  home.  In  1689  they  erected  their  house  of  worship  near 
the  present  site  of  the  church,  but  it  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1723.  Poverty 
and  other  difficulties  often  deprived  them  of  a  preacher,  but  the  little  band 
clung  together  and  secured  a  regular  legal  incorporation  February  22,  1808. 
All  this  time  they  were  commonly  known  as  the  "French  church,"  the  official 
record  of  their  incorporation  naming  them  the  "  Presbyterian  church  of  New 
Rochelle,  formerly  known  by  the  name  of  the  French  church."  In  the  early 
part  of  the  century  the  work  languished,  but  in  1846  took  a  new  start  and 
from  that  time  the  success  of  the  church  has  been  assured. 

Such,  in  brief,  is  the  history  of  the  church  over  which  Mr.  Waller  was 
called  to  preside  in  1882.  During  his  ministry  it  has  been  in  a  most  pros- 
perous and  flourishing  condition.  Its  membership  has  been  increased  to  four 
hundred,  and  its  field  of  usefulness  has  been  greatly  extended.  In  1891  they 
dismissed  thirty-nine  members  to  organize  the  Second  Presbyterian  church, 
which  had  developed  from  a  mission,  which  they  had  for  some  time  con- 
ducted, known  as  the  North  street  chapel.  The  First  Presbyterian  is  now 
one  of  the  strongest  churches  in  the  suburban  presbytery  of  Westchester. 
Many  of  its  members  are  New  York  business  men,  and  their  gifts,  tastes  and 
standards  are  those  of  a  city  church. 

That  Mr.  Waller  has  been  their  pastor  sixteen  years  is  evidence  of  his 
substantial  ability  as  preacher  and  pastor.  At  this  point  it  would  be  almost 
a  redundancy  to  enter  into  any  series  of  statements  as  showing  our  subject 
to  be  a  man  of  broad  intelligence  and  genuine  public  spirit,  for  these  have 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  607 

teen  shadowed  forth  between  the  lines  of  this  review.  Strong  in  his  indi- 
viduality, he  never  lacks  the  courage  of  his  convictions,  but  there  are,  as 
dominating  elements  in  this  individuality,  a  lively  human  sympathy  and  an 
abiding  charity,  which,  as  taken  in  connection  with  the  sterling  integrity  and 
honor  of  his  character,  have  naturally  gained  to  Mr.  Waller  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  men  of  all  denominations. 


MINOT  CROFOOT  KELLOGG. 

The  career  of  him  whose  name  heads  this  review  illustrates  most  forci- 
bly the  possibilities  that  are  open  to  a  young  man  who  possesses  sterling 
business  qualifications.  It  proves  that  neither  wealth  nor  social  position  nor 
the  assistance  of  influential  friends  is  necessary  to  place  him  on  the  road  to 
success.  It  also  proves  that  ambition,  perseverance,  steadfast  purpose  and 
indefatigable  industry,  combined  with  sound  business  principles,  will  be 
rewarded,  and  that  true  s'^ccess  follows  individual  effort  only.  Mr.  Kellogg 
has  gained  recognition  and  prestige  as  one  of  the  influential  and  representa- 
tive business  men  residing  in  Mount  Vernon,  New  York,  and  is  to-day  vice- 
president  of  the  Patterson  Brothers  Company  of  New  York  city. 

He  was  born  in  New  Canaan,  Connecticut,  December  17,  1834,  a  son  of 
Matthew  and  Electa  (Crofoot)  Kellogg.  He  traces  his  ancestry  back  to  Dan- 
iel Kellogg,  who  was  born  in  1638,  and  was  an  early  settler  of  Norwalk,  Con- 
necticut, where  he  served  as  selectman  in  1670  and  died  in  1713.  He  had 
a  son,  Samuel  Kellogg,  born  in  1673,  and  the  line  continues  through  the  lat- 
ter's  son,  Gideon  Kellogg,  born  in  171 7.  Isaac  Kellogg,  son  of  Gideon  and 
grandfather  of  Minot  C.  Kellogg,  rendered  able  service  to  the  cause  of  Ameri- 
can independence  as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  his  name  appears 
upon  the  pension  rolls.  Matthew  Kellogg,  the  father,  who  was  born  Septem- 
ber 22,  1782,  was  a  prosperous  farmer  of  New  Canaan,  Connecticut,  and 
lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety  years. 

Upon  the  homestead  farm  Minot  Crofoot  Kellogg  was  reared  to  man- 
hood, acquiring  such  an  education  as  was  then  afforded  by  the  town  schools. 
At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  went  to  New  York  city,  where  he  entered  the 
employ  of  Patterson  Brothers,  hardware  dealers,  commencing  as  office-boy 
and  working  his  way  forward,  step  by  step,  to  the  position  of  senior  clerk, 
and  at  length  to  an  equal  partnership  in  the  business.  In  1884  the  concern 
was  incorporated  under  its  present  style  and  he  was  elected  its  vice-president. 
He  is  president  of  the  Co-operative  Building  Bank,  of  New  York,  a  position 
formerly  occupied  by  the  late  Hon.  James  W.  Wyatt,  of  Norwalk,  and 
among  its  directors  are  several  prominent  Connecticut  men,  including  ex-Gov- 
ernor Lounsbury,  and  the  present  lieutenant-governor  of  New  York,  Hon 


608  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Timothy  L.  Woodruff.  Mr.  Kellogg  is  also  vice-president  of  the  Banli  of 
Mount  Vernon  (New  York),  a  director  of  the  East  Chester  Savings  Bank  and 
of  various  other  institutions,  is  one  of  the  managers  of  the  Mount  Vernon 
Hospital  and  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  First  Methodist  church 
at  that  place.  His  business  interests  necessitated  his  removal  from  Con- 
necticut in  1874,  and  since  that  year  he  has  resided  in  Mount  Vernon,  New 
York.  The  moral  and  religious  institutions  of  the  community  in  which  he 
lives  have  in  him  an  earnest  and  a  liberal  supporter,  and  the  only  organiza- 
tion in  the  metropolis  with  which  he  is  said  to  affiliate  is  the  Hardware  Club. 
He  never  acts  except  from  honest  motives,  and  in  all  his  varied  relations  in 
business  affairs  and  in  social  life  he  has  maintained  a  character  and  standing 
that  has  impressed  all  with  his  sincere  and  manly  purpose  to  treat  others  as- 
he  would  have  others  treat  him.      Politically,  he  is  a  Republican. 

On  the  24th  of  September,  1863,  Mr.  Kellogg  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Emily  E.,  daughter  of  Charles  E.  and  Abigail  Ann  Disbrow,  of 
Norwalk,  Connecticut,  and  to  them  were  born  two  sons  and  two  daughters, 
of  whom  the  latter  survive:  Mildred  C. ,  the  older,  married  Samuel  W. 
Bertine,  October  24,  1893,  and  has  one  son,  Edwin  Wilbur,  born  August  i^ 
1897.  The  younger  daughter,  Cora  L. ,  is  now  attending  the  Mount  Vernon 
high  school.  The  wife  and  mother  died  February  8,  1889,  and  on  January 
7,  1 891,  Mr.  Kellogg  wedded  Miss  Mary  L.  Tallmadge,  daughter  of  the  late 
William  H.  Tallmadge,  of  New  Canaan,  Connecticut.  The  family  is  very 
prominent  socially. 

JOHN  H.  BRETT. 

That  class  of  citizens  in  whom  utilitarian  America  takes  the  most  pride 
comprises  the  representative  business  men  who  are  still  carrying  out  all  the 
oldest  maxims  of  industry,  perseverance  and  integrity.  Such  a  man  is  Mr. 
Brett,  who  has  humbly  and  faithfully  added  his  share  to  the  prosperity  of 
the  country  and  earned  for  himself  a  good  name.  "Although  no  sculptured 
marble  may  arise  to  his  memory,  nor  engraved  stone  bear  record  of  his  deeds, 
as  to  many  unworthy  kings  and  potentates,  yet  will  a  remembrance  of  him 
last  as  long  as  the  land  he  honors." 

The  name  "Brett"  is  of  German  origin;  but  the  immigrant  ancestor  of 
our  subject,  his  grandfather,  Patrick  Brett,  came  from  Tipperary,  Ireland,  in 
1850,  locating  at  Albany,  New  York,  where  he  resided  until  his  death  in  1872, 
prior  to  which  event  he  had  been  retired  from  active  business  for  many  years. 
James  Brett,  the  father  of  John,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  a  truckman  by  occu- 
pation, emigrated  to  America,  landing  at  St.  John,  New  Brunswick,  in  1848, 
soon  afterward  moved  to  Albany,  New  York,  where  he  resided  until  185 1,  when 
he  came  to  Mount  Vernon,  and  here  he  engaged  in  trucking  and  teaming  until 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  609 

his  death  in  1872.  He  was  an  exemplary  citizen,  a  Democrat  in  his  poHtical 
faith,  and  in  his  rehgious  faith  an  intelligent  member  of  the  Catholic  church. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  local  church  (St.  Matthew's)  in  Mount 
Vernon,  and  he  built  the  first  church  edifice  for  their  worship.  He  married 
Ann  Harrington,  and  had  the  following  named  children:  Patrick,  deceased; 
John  H.,  our  subject;  Catherine;  Patrick  W.,  Mary  and  James.  The  mother 
of  these  children  departed  this  life  in  December,  1876,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
one  years. 

Mr.  John  H.  Brett,  whose  name  honors  the  introduction  of  this  sketch, 
was  born  August  4,  1854,  at  Mount  Vernon,  and  left  school  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years  to  assist  his  father  in  business,  and  thus  remained  with  him  to 
the  time  of  his  death:  he  was  then  eighteen  years  of  age.  Selling  the  teams 
they  had  been  using  in  their  business,  he  became  associated  with  Reynolds 
Brothers  in  the  grain  and  feed  business,  and  remained  with  them  two  years; 
next  he  was  employed  by  Burr  Davis'  &  Son  in  the  livery  business  for  five 
years;  and  finally,  in  1892,  he  engaged  in  the  grain  business  on  his  own 
account,  at  Mount  Vernon,  in  which  he  has  since  continued,  with  the  success 
that  is  due  industry  and  integrity.  His  place  of  business  is  at  5  and  7  Pros- 
pect avenue. 

Besides  the  daily  routine  of  the  work-a-day  life  by  which  he  earns  his 
livelihood,  he  takes  an  interest  in  other  business  enterprises  and  in  social, 
religious  and  public  affairs,  being  a  director  in  the  Mount  Vernon  Steamboat 
Company,  running  boats  between  New  York  city  and  Mount  Vernon;  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  trade;  formerly  a  member  of  the  Nogan  Hose  Company 
for  eight  years;  a  member  of  the  order  of  Knights  of  St.  John  of  Malta, 
Ancient  Order  of  Foresters,  Exempt  Firemen's  Association,  the  Catholic 
Benevolent  Legion,  Society  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul  (charitable  institution),  of 
the  Mount  Vernon  City  Club,  Mount  Vernon  Gun  Club  and  of  the  Turn- 
verein  (a  singing  society).  In  politics  he  is  a  leading  and  active  Democrat, 
and  for  a  long  time  has  served  as  the  receiver  of  taxes  for  the  city  of  Mount 
Vernon. 

Early  in  the  year  1884  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Margaret 
Delaney,  of  Fordham,  New  York. 


ROBERT  F.    WHITE. 


Robert  F.  White  is  one  of  the  prominent  men  of  Purdy  Station,  where 
he  conducts  a  livery  and  store.  He  was  born  in  Penryn,  Cornwall,  England, 
December  8,  1850,  and  is  the  son  of  William  Henry  and  Emma  (Elliott) 
White.  His  father  went  to  Australia  in  1854,  where  he  died.  He  was  a 
mason  and  builder  of  skill.     The  wife  and  mother  is  now  in  her  eighty-first 


39 


610  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

year  and  still  resides  in  the  home  of  her  birth,  Cornwall.  She  has  had  six 
children,  viz.:  Daniel,  of  England;  Reverend  John,  of  Arvada,  Colorado; 
Mary,  wife  of  Joseph  Stephens,  of  Devonshire,  England;  Emma  E.,  at 
home  with  her  mother;  and  Robert  F. ,  our  subject.  The  oldest  son,  William 
H.,  is  deceased. 

Robert  F.  White  graduated  at  the  Wesleyan  high  school,  and  at  the 
age  of  twenty  had  also  graduated  at  the  Polytechnic  School  of  Cornwall,  as 
engineer.  He  soon  afterward  came  to  this  country  and  entered  the  employ 
of  John  Roach,  the  famous  shipbuilder  of  Philadelphia.  Later  he  aban- 
doned this  work  to  take  up  the  work  of  the  ministry,  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal chutch,  preaching  in  Greene  and  Schoharie  counties,  and  for  two  years 
in  Westchester  county.  In  1884  he  located  in  Purdy  Station  in  his  present 
business,  which  is  prospering  even  beyond  his  expectations. 

In  1877  he  was  joined  in  matrimony  to  Miss  Lola  Josephine  Smith,  a 
teacher  from  Charlotteville,  Schoharie  county,  this  state,  and  a  daughter  of 
Henry  Smith.  They  have  five  children:  Anna,  a  highly  successful  and  pop- 
ular teacher;  Emma  Lola,  Robert  Henry,  George  Furneaux  and  Harrold 
Leslie.  Mr.  White  has  given  invaluable  aid  to  the  Republicans  of  this 
county,  "stumping  "  a  portion  of  the  state  for  Harrison  and  also  for  Gov- 
ernor Morton.  The  issue  discussed  by  him  principally  was  the  tariff,  upon 
which  he  is  exceptionally  well  informed.  He  is  a  pleasant  and  forceful 
speaker,  bringing  his  audience  into  irresistible  sympathy  with  the  speaker, 
and  he  is  always  sure  of  an  appreciative  hearing.  He  is  now  serving  his 
third  term  as  justice  of  the  peace,  and  has  been  on  the  school  board  eight 
years.  He  has  made  two  trips  back  to  the  mother  country, — the  first  in 
1884,  and  again  in  1891.  He  is  of  a  social  disposition  and  has  gathered  a 
large  fund  of  pithy  anecdotes  which  serve  him  a  good  purpose  in  election- 
eering. 

SIVORI  SELLECK. 

Sivori  Selleck,  one  of  the  old  and  respected  citizens  of  Pound  Ridge 
township,  Westchester  county,  was  born  in  this  locality  May  25,  1855.  His 
father,  Sands  Selleck,  was  born  in  this  county  May  16,  1816,  and  died  Sep- 
tember 8,  1897.  In  addition  to  farming  he  was  extensively  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  baskets,  and  stood  foremost  in  that  line  of  industry  in  this 
portion  of  the  state  at  that  time.  He  was  very  active  in  the  Republican  party, 
and  for  a  number  of  terms  was  a  selectman  of  his  township.  Both  he  and 
his  estimable  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  The 
latter,  whose  maiden  name  was  Betsey  E.  Austin,  and  who  survives  her  hus- 
band, was  born  in  1822. 

Thomas  Selleck,  the  paternal  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  narra- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  611 

live,  was  born  in  this  county,  and  owned  an  extensive  tract  of  land  in  Pound 
Ridge  township,  this  property  having  been  in  the  family  for  several  genera- 
tions, handed  down  from  father  to  son.  A  portion  of  the  estate — fifty  acres — 
is  comprised  within  the  sixty-two-acre  farm  now  owned  by  Sivori  Selleck. 
Thomas  Selleck  was  a  stone-mason  and  contractor,  and  among  other  public 
works  constructed  by  him,  which  at  the  time  were  considered  very  important 
and  splendid  specimens  of  skill  and  engineering,  was  the  Holly's  Pond  dam, 
in  Stamford,  Connecticut.  He  was  a  stanch  Republican,  and  was  an  influ- 
ential member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  His  wife,  whose  name 
before  their  marriage  was  Esther  Jeames,  was  a  native  of  the  county,  her 
birth  having  occurred  near  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  river. 

Sivori  Selleck  is  oije  of  eight  children,  the  others  being  as  follows:  George 
B.,  who  enlisted  in  the  Thirteenth  Connecticut  Volunteer  Infantry  in  the 
civil  war  and  died  in  1862,  in  New  Orleans,  when  but  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  from  fever  contracted  in  the  service;  Ann  Eliza,  wife  of  Levi  Brush,  of 
New  Canaan,  Connecticut;  Adeline,  wife  of  Loomis  Schofield,  of  Pound 
Ridge  township;  Emma  G. ,  Mrs.  Charles  Brown,  of  New  Canaan;  Titus  S., 
a  mechanic  and  resident  of  this  township;  Hannah  E. ,  Mrs.  John  B.  Weed, 
■of  New  Canaan;  Sands,  Jr.,  residing  at  Pound  Ridge,  this  county;  and 
Francis  S.,  a  grocer  of  New  Canaan. 

When  he  had  grown  to  manhood  the  subject  of  this  article  went  to  Ada, 
■Ohio,  where  he  engaged  in  business  for  about  one  year,  after  which  he 
returned  to  his  native  county  and  purchased  a  tract  of  thirty  acres  in  this 
township.  He  dealt  in  ship  timber  in  connection  with  his  farming  opera- 
tions for  some  three  years.  Then  selling  out,  he  went  to  Stamford,  Con- 
necticut, where  he  made  his  home  for  some  three  years.  In  1886  he  came 
back  to  the  old  homestead  here,  of  which  he  became  the  owner  by  purchase. 
He  now  is  following  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father,  cultivating  the  farm 
and  manufacturing  baskets  for  the  use  of  dealers  in  New  York  city. 
His  business  in  this  line  is  a  paying  one  and  employment  is  afforded  several 
hands. 

From  his  early  manhood  he  has  been  active  in  the  ranks  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  has  officiated  in  various  minor  positions  of  local  importance. 
He  was  excise  commissioner  for  six  years;  for  three  consecutive  terms  has 
been  commissioner  of  highways  and  is  now  serving  as  secretary  and  treasurer 
•of  the  board.  In  1897  he  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Scott's  Corners,  and 
is  still  acting  in  that  capacity.  At  numerous  conventions  of  his  party  he  has 
been  present  as  a  delegate,  and  at  all  times  he  has  been  an  interested  fac- 
tor in  the  success  of  the  same.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows society,  belonging  to  Wooster  Lodge,  No.  37,  of  New  Canaan,  Connect- 
icut.     He  is  also  associated    with  Commodore  Perry  Council,  No.  44,  O.  U. 


612  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

A.  M.;  Oenoke  Tent,  K.  O.  T.  M. ;  Olive  Branch  Council,  No.  8,  Daughters 
of  Liberty,  of  New  Canaan;  and  the  Sons  of  Temperance.  He  has  always 
been  an  interested  worker  in  the  cause  of  total  abstinence  from  intoxicating 
liquor  and  tobacco. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  Scott's  Corners, 
being  a  steward  and  trustee  and  having  been  district  steward  of  the  district 
including  Pound  Ridge  township.  For  a  long  time  he  has  been  an  influential 
worker  in  the  Sunday-school  cause  and  is  now  the  superintendent  of  the 
school  which  is  carried  on  in  connection  with  his  home  church.  His  wife 
and  daughter,  also,  are  great  workers  in  the  church  and  Sunday-school, 
and  the  latter,  Miss  Lula  B.,  who  has  a  special  talent  for  music,  presides 
at  the  organ.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  Selleck  and  Miss  Sarah  Macdonald, 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Mary  (Warren)  Macdonald,  was  solemnized  October 
9,  1889.  Mrs.  Selleck  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  March  i,  1862,  and 
by  her  marriage  has  become  the  mother  of  two  children — Lulu  B.  and 
George  Thomas. 

FRANK  J.  HOLLER. 

Frank  J.  Holler,  a  popular  and  successful  citizen  of  New  Rochelle,  is  a 
son  of  Lawrence  and  Louisa  (Mangis)  Holler,  and  was  born  in  New  Rochelle, 
June  17,  1872.  He  was  graduated  from  the  public  schools,  and,  after  a 
thorough  commercial  course  at  Packard's  Business  College,  entered  a  large 
wholesale  house  in  New  York  city  as  bookkeeper.  He  made  good  progress 
in  the  concern  and  severed  his  relations  with  it  only  when,  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen, he  was  called  home  to  assume  charge  of  his  fathers  business,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  latter  illness.  He  gradually  took  into  his  hands  the  entire  man- 
agement of  this  important  enterprise  and  has  'developed  it  far  beyond  the 
expectations  of  its  founder.  It  is  an  ice  business  and  was  established  by  the 
elder  Holler  in  1858.  The  firm  owns  its  plant,  which  is  complete  in  every 
respect,  fully  equipped  in  every  way  and  equal  to  the  demands  of  its  growing 
business.  The  capacity  has  been  increased  from  time  to  time,  and  its  present 
manager  has  added  to  it  materially  by  the  purchase  of  new  property.  Mr. 
Holler's  success  is  the  result  largely  of  his  own  personal  influence.  He  is  a 
genial  and  friendly  man  who  is  welcomed  everywhere,  and  this  is  reinforced 
by  a  capacity  for  affairs  which  would  bring  success  to  any  project  to  which  it 
might  be  devoted. 

Mr.  Holler  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  wields  a  strong  influence  in 
municipal  affairs.  As  a  heavy  taxpayer,  he  is  naturally  interested  in  the 
economical  and  honorable  administration  of  all  public  offices.  He  has 
served  his  fellow-citizens  as  inspector  of  elections,  was  elected  auditor  of 
New  Rochelle  by  a  majority  of   550  out  of  1,296  votes,  was  triumphantly 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  613 

elected  alderman  to  represent  the  third  ward,  was  delegate  to  the  county 
convention  of  his  party  in  1896,  and  has  been  otherwise  prominent  in  the 
management  of  the  business  of  the  city.  So  well  and  faithfully  has  he  dis- 
charged every  duty  to  the  public,  that  he  is  uniformly  regarded  as  a  model 
official.  He  has  never  sought  office,  and  has  never  accepted  it,  except  when 
convinced  that  the  interests  of  the  community  demanded  such  a  concession 
on  his  part.  He  was  secretary  of  the  Democratic  county  committee  for  three 
years,  is  a  member  of  the  Democratic  Club,  and  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus, 
and  was  formerly  a  member  of  Huguenot  Engine  Company.  He  has  been 
a  lifelong  member  of  St.  Gabriel's  Catholic  church.  Toward  every  organi- 
sation with  which  he  has  been  connected,  he  has  always  exercised  a  spirit  of 
helpfulness  that  has  been  more  than  liberal. 

Lawrence  Holler  came,  when  six  years  old,  from  Germany  with  his 
father  and  mother  and  the  balance  of  their  family,  and  located  at  New  York, 
where  the  family  resided  for  eight  years,  and  in  1846  came  to  New  Rochelle, 
where  Lawrence  Holler,  Sr. ,  acquired  considerable  real  estate,  and  the  family 
had  a  home  in  a  substantial  stone  residence.  This  property  descended  in 
part  to  Lawrence  Holler,  Jr.,  father  of  Frank  J.  Holler,  and  he  has  sold  off 
tracts  of  it  as  occasion  has  brought  him  opportunities  for  profitable  trans- 
actions. He  has  always  taken  an  interest  in  local  matters,  was  commis- 
sioner of  highways,  and  has  held  other  offices.  He  is  an  exempt  member  of 
Huguenot  Engine  Company,  and  has  always  been  an  influential  Democrat 
and  a  member  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church.  On  May  29,  1867,  he  mar- 
ried Louisa  Mangis,  a  daughter  of  Melchor  and  Anna  Elizabeth  (Witterman) 
Mangis,  and  she  bore  him  three  sons  and  four  daughters,  a,s  follows:  Law- 
rence, who  died  aged  one  year;  Catharine  E.,  who  died  July  2,  1884;  Henry, 
and  Amelia  were  twins,  born  March  10,  1871,  and  the  former  died  July  17, 
1871,  and  the  latter  died  August  2,  1871;  Frank  J.,  our  subject;  Maria  Wil- 
helmina;   and  Anna  Frances. 

Three  of  Frank  J.  Holler's  grandparents  died  at  the  age  of  eighty,  and 
his  paternal  grandfather  at  the  age  of  ninety-one. 


ELIAS  BRYANT. 


This  honored  veteran  of  the  civil  war  and  one  of  the  most  popular  men 
of  Mount  Pleasant  township,  Westchester  county,  was  born  on  the  12th  of 
April,  1837,  in  Morris  county.  New  Jersey,  and  is  a  worthy  representative  of 
a  good  old  family  of  that  stq.te.  His  ancestors  are  supposed  to  have  come  to 
this  country  from  Holland,  and  the  family  name  was  originally  Brount.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  Elias  Bryant,  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey  and  was  an 
expert  blacksmith.      He  married  a  Miss  Corwin,  and  both  died  in  that  state. 


614  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Elias  Bryant,  Jr.,  our  subject's  father,  was  born  in  1800,  in  New  Jersey, 
and  throughout  Hfe  followed  the  stone  and  brick  mason's  trade.  He  married 
Miss  Electa  Meeker,  a  native  of  Morris  county,  and  a  representative  of  two 
of  the  honored  old  families  of  that  state, — the  Meekers  and  Skinners, — eight- 
een of  their  members  being  soldiers  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  Fannie 
Meeker,  an  aunt  of  our  subject,  is  still  living,  aged  ninety-four  years.  The 
children  born  to  Elias  and  Electa  Bryant  were  Isaac,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years;  Jacob,  a  resident  of  Scranton,  Pennsylvania;  Phoebe,  wife  of 
Lewis  Sturges,  of  Tarrytown,  New  York;  Amada  B.,  of  Tarrytown;  Eveline, 
deceased  wife  of  James  L.  Minnerly;  and  Elias,  our  subject.  The  mother 
died  at  the  age  of  forty-six  years,  and  the  father  was  again  married,  having 
by  the  second  union  two  children:  Van  Cleave  D.,  deceased;  and  Frederick, 
a  resident  of  West  Virginia.  The  father  was  called  to  his  final  rest  at  the 
age  of  seventy-one  years.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  a  Presbyterian 
in  religious  faith. 

The  subject  of  this  review  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  state, 
where  he  remained  until  coming  to  Tarrytown,  Westchester  county,  in  1857. 
Here  he  worked  at  the  painter's  trade  until  his  enlistment  in  the  Union  army. 
On  the  7th  of  January,  1 864,  he  joined  the  Seventh  New  York  Heavy  Artillery, 
and  with  Grant's  command  participated  in  the  battles  of  Spottsylvania,  the 
Wilderness,  Cold  Harbor  and  Petersburg.  He  was  wounded  in  the  left  leg 
by  a  gunshot  and  gangrene  set  in,  necessitating  the  use  of  crutches  for  eleven 
months,  and  for  nine  months  was  confined  in  a  hospital  at  Washington,  D.  C, 
being  honorably  discharged  April  13,  1865.  He  was  at  Ford's  theater  on  the 
night  of  President  Lincoln's  assassination  and  witnessed  the  shooting  by 
Wilkes  Booth. 

On  his  return  home  Mr.  Bryant  resumed  work  at  his  trade,  and  was 
also  engaged  in  the  insurance  business  for  several  years  in  connection  with 
farming.  In  1867  he  located  upon  his  present  farm,  known  as  Maple  Shade, 
where  he  has  a  most  beautiful  rural  home,  the  culture  and  artistic  taste  of  its 
occupants  being  reflected  in  its  appointments,  while  a  gracious  hospitality 
adds  a  charm  to  its  material  comforts.  It  is  conveniently  located  only  three 
miles  from  Tarrytown  and  one  mile  from  Pocantico  Hills. 

In  1867  Mr.  Bryant  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  E.  Ryder, 
a  daughter  of  David  and  Julia  (Van  Cortland)  Ryder.  They  have  one  son, 
W.  Irving,  who  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  Westchester  county,  and 
married  Miss  Margaret  Reeves,  a  native  of  Tarrytown,  and  a  daughter  of 
Rev.  Reeves,  who  was  a  chaplain  in  the  Confederate  service  during  the  civil 
war.  They  have  one  child,  a  son,  born  January  15,  1899.  In  his  political 
affiliations  Mr.  Bryant  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  has  been  honored  with  several 
local  offices,  including  those  of  commissioner  and  collector.      He  is  a  pleasant, 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  615 

genial  gentleman,  who  makes  many  friends,   and  is  an  honored  member  of 
Ward  B.  Burnett  Post,  No.  496,  G.  A.  R. 

The  old  home  where  they  are  now  living  was  confiscated  during  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  after  that  was  bought  by  a  Mr.  Forshay,  who 
divided  it  between  his  sons.  Schuyler  Forshay  was  one  of  these.  Major 
Andre  passed  the  old  home  just  before  he  was  captured. 


FRANCIS  J.  STEVENS. 

Mr.  Stevens  is  a  wide-awake,  energetic  business  man,  the  present  pro- 
prietor of  the  Boutonville  Mills,  and  also  owns  and  manages  the  old  Stevens 
homestead,  on  which  he  was  born,  November  13,  1858.  His  father,  John 
D.  Stevens,  and  his  grandfather,  who  also  bore  the  name  of  John,  were 
both  millers,  and  in  following  their  chosen  calling  met  with  a  fair  degree  of 
success.  The  latter  married  Miss  Polly  Delavan,  who  was  of  French 
descent,  and  both  died  in  Westchester  county.  Here  John  D.  Stevens  grew 
to  manhood  and  learned  the  miller's  trade  of  his  father.  He  was  twice 
married,  his  first  wife  being  by  maiden  name  Harriet  Scofield,  by  which 
union  there  was  one  daughter,  now  Mrs.  Harriet  Mead,  of  Connecticut. 
His  second  union  was  with  Miss  Frances  Scofield,  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
Scofield,  and  she  died  during  the  infancy  of  our  subject.  The  father,  who 
was  always  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Democracy,  departed  this  life  October 
13.  1895,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years.  During  his  boyhood  and  youth 
Francis  J.  Stevens  remained  at  home  and  early  became  familiar  with  the 
milling  business  by  aiding  his  father;  and  after  the  death  of  the  latter  he 
took  charge  of  the  mill,  which  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  county.  He  also 
came  into  possession  of  the  old  homestead,  a  valuable  and  well  improved 
farm,  which  he  is  now  successfully  managing  in  connection  with  the  mill. 
His  management  of  the  estate  is  marked  by  the  scientific  knowledge  and 
skill  which  characterize  the  modern  business  man. 

In  1884  Mr.  Stevens  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Julia  P.  Grurn- 
mond,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Angeline  (Westcott)  Grummond,  and  one 
child  blesses  this  union,  Emma  M.,  who  was  born  February  26,  1892.  Mrs. 
Stevens  was  born  on  the  old  Grummond  homestead  near  Lake  Wacabuc  and 
near  the  north  and  south  line  of  Salem  township.  Her  ancestry  came  to  this 
county  many  years  ago.  Her  grandfather,  Samuel  Grummond,  Sr. ,  carried 
on  business  here  for  a  number  of  years.  He  married  Bethenia  Denton,  of 
Greenwich,  Connecticut.  Her  father  died  in  1894,  and  her  mother  is  still 
living,  now  seventy-five  years  of  age,  at  Lewisboro.  They  had  three  chil- 
dren: Mary,  Mrs.  Alfred  Hawley,  deceased,  of  Salem  Center;  Bethenia,  wife 
of  George  Silkman,  of  Cross  River;  and  Mrs.  Stevens,  the  youngest.     In  poll- 


616  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

tics  her  father  was  a  Republican,  and  by  occupation  a  stone-mason.  In  1835 
Samuel  Grummond  carried  on  a  large  business  at  the  foot  of  Long  Pond 
mountain,  on  the  south  side,  on  the  road  leading  from  South  Salem  meeting- 
house to  North  Salem.     Mr.  Grummond  died  in  1834. 

Mr.  Stevens,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  served  as  overseer  of  Pound 
Ridge  township  for  five  years,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  useful 
citizens  of  the  community.  His  father  also  took  a  prominent  part  in  public 
affairs,  serving  as  postmaster  of  Boutonville  for  several  years  and  as  com- 
missioner for  some  time.  He  was  rather  a  large  man,  weighing  one  hundred 
and  eighty  pounds,  and  was  a  genial,  pleasant  gentleman,  who  made  many 
friends. 

JAMES  A.    HUNTINGTON. 

James  Arthur  Huntington,  a  prominent  young  business  man  of  New 
Rochelle,  is  a  son. of  James  P.  and  Mary  E.  (Hudson)  Huntington  and  was 
born  at  New  Rochelle,  November  2,  1868.  The  family  of  Huntington  is  of 
English  origin. 

Mr.  Huntington's  paternal  grandfather,  James  Pitcher  Huntington,  a 
native  of  New  Rochelle,  was  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  a  man  of  wealth 
and  influence,  who  served  his  country  in  the  war  of  18 12-14,  was  a  justice 
of  the  peace  continuously  for  twenty-five  or  thirty  years,  and  whose  old 
homestead,  on  the  Boston  turnpike  at  the  intersection  of  Main  street,  was 
one  of  the  best  known  places  round  about  New  Rochelle.  He  had  children 
named:  Jane,  Ann,  Mary,  Grace,  Thomas,  Isaac,  Lawrence  D.  and  James  P. 

Lawrence  D,  Huntington  lives  on  his  father's  place,  where  these  children 
were  born,  and  is  a  well  known  broker,  operating  in  Wall  street.  New  York 
city.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  state  assembly,  was  three  times  elected 
president  of  the  village  of  New  Rochelle  (1866-7,  1873-4,  1 889-90),  was 
president  of  the  New  York  State  Fish  Commission  and  is  in  a  general  way 
active  in  public  and  political  affairs. 

James  P.  Huntington,  father  of  James  Arthur  Huntington,  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  New  Rochelle  and  while  yet  young  learned  the  trade 
of  wheelwright,  for  he  inclined  to  mechanical  rather  than  mercantile  pur- 
suits, and  wheelwrights  almost  invariably  did  well  in  those  days,  before  cheap 
factory  wagons  and  carriages  had  been  introduced.  He  went  to  California,— 
was  a  real  "Forty-niner,"  for  it  was  in  1849  that  he  went,— but  did  not 
remain  long.  Returning  east,  he  located  at  Tarrytown,  but  thirty  years  ago 
came  back  to  New  Rochelle.  He  was  the  owner  of  two  sloops  which  did 
quite  a  business  in  a  local  way  between  Harlem  and  New  Rochelle  until  sup- 
planted by  the  superior  transportation  facilities  of  the  era  of  railroads,  and 
he  became  popularly   known  as   "Captain"   Huntington.      This  later  enter- 


yT^u^^^t^t^^^---^ 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  617 

prise  absorbed  his  energies  for  ten  or  twelve  years  and  it  was  quite  a  success. 
He  took  an  interest  in  the  village  fire  department  and  became  an  exempt 
member  of  Enterprise  Hook  and  Ladder  Company.  He  married  Mary  E. 
Hudson;  their  children  were  as  follows:  Thomas,  Jennie  (Mrs.  Alonzo 
Guest),  Grace  and  John  (deceased),  James  Arthur  and  Mary  E. 

James  Arthur  Huntington  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  New 
Rochelle  and  was  duly  graduated  at  the  age  of  sixteen.  He  immediately 
entered  the  service  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Bank,  of  New  York  city,  and  was  for 
six  years  one  of  its  clerks  and  rose  to  the  position  of  ladies'  receiving  teller. 
He  was  offered  and  accepted  the  position  of  teller  of  the  Bank  of  New 
Rochelle  and  has  held  it  for  eight  years. 

He  takes  an  intelligent  and  practically  helpful  interest  in  all  public  affairs 
and  is  an  active  politician  of  pronounced  Democratic  proclivities.  In  1898 
he  was  nominated  for  the  office  of  village  trustee  by  his  own  party  and 
endorsed  by  the  Republicans,  and  was  elected  by  the  united  vote  of  the  two 
parties,  which  was  an  unequivocal  tribute  to  his  personal  popularity.  In 
1899  he  was  nominated  treasurer  of  New  Rochelle  and  elected  by  a  majority 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty-three,  running  considerably  ahead  of  his  ticket.  He 
is  a  member  of  numerous  popular  societies  and  organizations,  including  the 
Royal  Arcanum  and  the  New  Rochelle  Rowing  Club.  He  has  been  active  in 
a  business  way  in  several  directions  and  always  usefully  and  successfully. 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  is  a  director  of  the  New  Rochelle  Savings 
&  Investment  Association.  He  has  been  a  delegate  to  a  number  of  political 
and  other  conventions,  and  his  influence  has  always  been  potent  for  the 
enhancement  of  the  best  interests  of  New  Rochelle. 

November  14,  1894,  James  A.  Huntington  married  Miss  Carrie  Theo- 
dora Pine,  daughter  of  Theodore  Pine,  and  they  have  two  sons,  James  Ken- 
neth and  Willard  Davenport.  Theodore  Pine  was  clerk  of  New  Rochelle  in 
1866-8,  and  was  register  of  Westchester  county  several  terms,  being  a  promi- 
nent Democrat.  He  died  some  years  since,  sincerely  regretted  by  a  large 
circle  of  acquaintances,  leaving  two  daughters  and  a  son.  His  father,  John 
Pine,  was  also  active  politically  in  his  day,  and  was  a  trustee  of  the  village 
of  New  Rochelle  and  served  the  public  ably  and  faithfully  in  other  official 
positions. 

ALBERT  S.   JENKS. 

One  of  the  prominent  builders  of  the  city  of  Mount  Vernon,  in  every 
sense  of  the  word,  is  the  gentleman  whose  name  honors  the  caption  of  this 
article.  He  was  born  in  New  York  city,  in  1859,  a  son  of  Andrew  M.  and 
Sarah  A.  (Kellam)  Jenks.  (The  name  "  Jenks  "  is  of  Knickerbocker  Dutch 
origin.)     His  paternal  grandfather  and  other  early  ancestors  were  natives  of 


618  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

New  England.  His  father  was  born  in  Armenia,  New  York,  about  1827,. 
received  a  common-school  education,  and  was  a  carpenter  and  builder  by 
occupation,  erecting  many  buildings  of  his  own,  for  speculation,  as  well  as 
for  others.  At  first  he  was  in  business  in  the  south,  and  came  to  Dutchess 
county,  this  state,  and  in  1882  to  Mount  Vernon,  where  he  still  resides  and 
where  he  has  been  engaged  in  contracting  until  recently. 

In  public  affairs  he  has  a  wide  influence,  being  an  enthusiastic  Democrat 
and  an  efficient  worker  for  the  advancement  of  the  principles  of  his  party. 
He  has  had  nine  children,  as  follows:  Andrew  M.,  Jr.,  Francis,  Albert  S. 
(subject  of  this  sketch),  Julia  P.  Holmes,  deceased,  Sarah  A.  Harrocks,  Alvira 
Blair  (widow),  MoUie,  Etta  Hinkelbein,  and  Alonzo,  who  is  deceased.  Both 
the  parents  are  still  living,  the  father  at  the  age  of  seventy- one  years  and  the 
mother  at  the  age  of  sixty-five. 

The  maternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  and  his  mother  were  both  of 
English  birth  and  reared  on  Long  Island.  His  maternal  great-grandfather 
was  from  England,  was  engaged  in  speculative  business  at  Babylon,  on  Long 
Island,  and  made  a  great  deal  of  money,  owned  a  farm  and  much  other  val- 
uable propertj',  raised  considerable  produce  and  was  also  a  produce  commis- 
sion merchant. 

Mr.  Albert  S.  Jenks,  our  subject,  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Hyde  Park,  left  school  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  remaining  with 
his  father  a  short  time  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade,  then  worked  as  a  jour- 
neyman for  several  years.  Subsequently  he  was  a  keeper  and  foreman  of 
the  stock-room  in  the  stove-manufacturing  department  of  Perry  &  Company, 
at  Sing  Sing,  New  York,  for  two  years.  Afterward  he  was  engaged  again  at 
his  trade  for  two  years  in  the  south,  and  then  returned  to  Mount  Vernon, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  In  1887  he  became  associated  with  Carl  Will- 
iam Plume,  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  forming  the  firm 
of  Jenks  &  Plume,  engaged  in  general  building  and  contracting.  They  have 
in  their  employment  from  thirty-five  to  forty  men  on  an  average, — sometimes 
as  many  as  sixty-five.  In  a  single  year  they  have  done  work  amounting  to  a 
hundred  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Jenks  is  the  bookkeeper,  financier  and  execu- 
tive manager  of  the  business,  while  Mr.  Plume  is  the  superintending  architect. 
They  also  speculate  to  some  extent  in  real  estate,  buying  lots,  improving 
them,  building  upon  them  and  selling  them,  and  in  this  business  they  have 
been  signally  successful.  They  are  indeed  the  leading  carpenter  contractors 
in  the  city. 

Mr.   Jenks   is   also  a  lover  of  fine  horses,  having  usually  in  his  stables- 
some  of  the  fastest  horses  to  be  seen  on  the  boulevards  of  the  city. 

In  public  affairs  he  is  an  active  and  leading  Democrat.  For  two  years — 
1892-3 — he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  aldermen,  and  in  the  spring  of 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  619' 

1 897  he  was  elected  supervisor,  in  which  position  he  is  at  present  serving,  with 
acceptability.  His  shrewd  insight  into  the  methods  of  human  nature  and 
his  reliability  and  integrity  well  qualify  him  for  the  heaviest  responsibilities 
of  higher  official  station.  He  is  a  member  of  Hiawatha  Lodge,  No.  434,  F. 
&  A.  M. ;  was  president  of  the  Mount  Vernon  Driving  Club  three  years; 
attends  the  Universalist  church,  and  was  formerly  a  member  of  the  old  Eagle 
Fire  Company  at  Hyde  Park. 

December  18,  1891,  he  was  united  in  matrimony  with  Miss  Margaretta 
Cannon,  a  daughter  of  Charles  Cannon,  and  he  has  three  children, — Ger- 
trude, Albert,  Jr.,  and  Floyd. 


WILLIAM   HUMPHREY    SERGEANT. 

This  gentlemen,  one  of  the  live  business  men  of  Mount  Vernon,  was 
born  March  22,  1865,  at  Hull,  Yorkshire,  England,  a  son  of  George  and  Ann 
(Carr)  Sergeant.  Thomas  Sergeant,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  a 
native  of  Brigg,  Lincolnshire,  was  a  farmer  and  also  a  mason,  taking  con- 
tracts for  building.  He  married  a  lady  whose  parents  were  engaged  in 
theatrical  plays,  and  they  left  her  in  England  on  a  tour  to  the  United  States, 
and  while  thus  separated  from  her  parents  she  was  married.  George  Ser- 
geant, the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  and 
during  his  active  business  life  was  a  mason  and  builder,  taking  contracts  and. 
doing  an  extensive  amount  of  work.  Both  the  parents  are  living,  in  England, 
the  father  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years  and  the  mother  about  sixty-five. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopalian  church.  They  have  had  ten  children, 
namely:  Charles  Thomas,  Arthur  Henry,  George  E.,  deceased,  Betsey  Jane, 
Frederick  J.,  William  H.,  Charlotte  Mary,  Herbert,  deceased,  Ann,  and 
Sarah  Hildred,  also  deceased. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Hull, 
and  also  at  a  private  school  there,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  he  left  school 
and  began  to  learn  the  mason's  trade,  of  his  father,  and  followed  it  as  a 
journeyman  for  many  years,  both  in  England  and  in  this  country.  He 
arrived  in  America  June  28,  1883  or  1884,  locating  in  New  York  city,  where 
he  was  employed  at  his  trade  for  six  years.  In  i  ?9i  he  came  to  Mount  Ver- 
non and  continued  to  work  as  a  journeyman  for  a  time,  and  then  engaged  in 
contracting  for  building  on  his  own  account,  in  1895,  in  company  with  his 
brother  Arthur  H.,  under  the  firm  name  of  Sergeant  Brothers,  which  rela- 
tion has  since  been  continued.  The  scope  of  their  business  comprises  all 
kinds  of  building  and  masonry.  Among  the  more  important  structures 
erected  by  them  are:  The  new  city  hall,  known  as  the  Lucas  building,  the: 


,620  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

gas  and  water  buildings,  Lenox  laundry  and  the  electric-light  station,  besides 
a  hundred  smaller  buildings. 

In  his  political  principles  Mr.  Sergeant  is  a  Republican,  but  he  has  never 
been  an  office-seeker  or  a  politician. 

He  was  married  October  3,  1895,  to  Miss  Margaret  Sharp,  a  daughter 
of  Robert  Sharp,  and  they  have  three  children, — Winifred  R.,  Marguerite 
I.  and  Jane  Victoria. 

ROBERT  C.  ARCHER. 

Robert  Cromwell  Archer,  of  New  Rochelle,  is  a  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Eliza  (Cromwell)  Archer,  and  was  born  in  the  town  of  West  Farms,  July  2, 
1838.  William  Archer,  his  paternal  grandfather,  lived  in  Fordham,  New 
York,  as  did  also  his  brother  Samuel.  His  property  descended  to  his  two 
sons.  The  Archers  formerly  owned  much  land  now  included  in  the  city  of 
New  York.  William  Archer  married  Sarah  Berrien  and  they  had  eight  chil- 
dren: Benjamin,  Eliza  Cromwell,  Catharine  St.  John,  Andrew  D.,  William, 
LaFayette,  Mary  Mapes  and  Rachel  Mapes,  all  of  whom  are  dead.  He  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty-six,  and  his  wife  at  the  age  of  eighty-four. 

Benjamin  Archer  was  born  in  Fordham  and  began  life  there  as  a  farm- 
er, remaining  thus  engaged  for  a  number  of  years.  The  latter  part  of  his 
life  was  spent  at  Scarsdale,  where  he  had  one  hundred  and  twenty-six  acres 
of  valuable  land.  He  belonged  to  the  militia,  was  a  member  and  elder  and 
a  liberal  supporter  of  the  Reformed  church  and  was  a  Democrat  in  politics, 
being  in  every  way  an  estimable  and  influential  citizen.  He  married  Eliza 
Cromwell  and  had  eight  children  who  grew  to  maturity  and  one  who  died  in 
infancy,  a  brief  record  concerning  them  being  as  follows:  William  H.,  now 
deceased;  John  Cromwell,  who  is  a  well-to-do  farmer  in  Connecticut;  Susan, 
who  married  James  Strong  and  lives  at  Stamford,  Connecticut;  Robert  Crom- 
well; Benjamin  Harrison,  a  resident  of  the  town  of  Yonkers;  Sarah,  who  did 
not  marry;  Emily,  who  became  the  wife  of  Gilbert  Britt;  Fordham;  and 
Oliver  Cromwell,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four  and  a  half  years. 

Robert  Cromwell  Archer  was  educated  at  public  schools  as  chance 
offered,  for  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  devote  much  of  his  time  as  a  boy  to 
work  on  his  father's  farm,  and  he  attended  school  mostly  during  the  winter 
months.  After  his  father's  death  he  continued  farming  and  gave  much  atten- 
tion to  dairying.  In  this  connection  he  had  one  rather  discouraging  experi- 
ence. He  had  seventeen  cows  and  all  of  them  became  ill  with  pleuro- 
pneumonia and  were  killed  by  order  of  the  board  of  health  of  the  state  of 
New  York.  The  loss  to  Mr.  Archer  was  a  heavy  one,  but  he  looked  upon  it 
philosophically  and  set   himself   resolutely  to  the  task  of  repairing  it.     He 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  621 

could  not  continue  dairying,  and   thus  turned  iiis   attention  to  fruit-growing- 
and  market-gardening,  in  which  he  achieved  a  noteworthy  success. 

His  interest  in  the  pubhc  affairs  of  his  town  and  of  New  Rochelle  has 
always  been  great,  and  he  has  been  an  influential  factor  in  shaping  the 
course  of  local  political  events.  He  was  commissioner  of  highways  three 
years,  has  several  times  been  elected  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  education 
and  served  as  its  chairman.  His  own  early  education  he  supplemented  by  a 
thorough  course  of  reading,  but  he  believes  in  systematic  education  and  has 
an  abiding  faith  in  the  public  school  as  the  greatest  of  all  helps  to  civilization 
and  the  advancement  of  the  human  race.  For  fourteen  years  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  vestry  of  St.  John's  church,  Protestant  Episcopal,  and  has 
served  two  years  as  its  junior  warden  and  two  terms  as  its  senior  warden. 
He  has  been  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  of  this  church  for  the 
long  period  of  seventeen  years,  for  he  believes  that  secular  education  should 
go  hand-in-hand  with  judicious  religious  instruction,  and  that  a  truly  great 
nation  must  grow  in  greatness  spiritually  as  well  as  intellectually. 

Mr.  Archer  was  married  in  1861  to  Mary  A.  Van  Wart,  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Deborah  (Griffin)  Van  Wart,  her  father,  who  is  now  deceased, 
having  been  at  one  time  a  well  known  contractor  of  Westchester  county. 
He  was  a  descendant  of  Isaac  Van  Wart.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Archer  had  four 
children:  Carrie,  who  married  Charles  W.  Francis,  a  successful  grocer  of 
New  Rochelle,  and  has  a  daughter  named  Laura  Naomi;  Laura,  who  lives 
with  her  parents;  Lucy,  of  New  Rochelle;  and  Eliza,  wife  of  Frank  Percy,  a 
leading  milk  dealer  of  New  Rochelle.  John  Van  Wart  was  twice  married, — 
first  to  Debora  Griffin,  mother  of  Mrs.  Archer,  and  after  her  death  to  Julia 
Schofield,  of  Connecticut.  Mr.  Archer's  maternal  grandfather,  Oliver  Crom- 
well, was  born  at  Morrisiana,  New  York,  and  was  a  descendant  of  Oliver 
Cromwell,  of  historic  fame.  He  had  children  named  Oliver,  Richard,  Jere- 
miah, John,  Phcebe,  Mary,  Eliza  and  Robert.  Eliza  was  Mr.  Archer's 
mother. 

Mrs.  Mary  A.  (Van  Wart)  Archer  died  May  22,  1898.  She  was  a  con- 
sistent member  of  St.  John's  Episcopal  church,  Wilmot  parish,  at  New  Ro- 
chelle, and  was  esteemed  and  loved  by  all  who  knew  her. 


WILLIAM  LAKE. 


Wilham  Lake,  a  progressive  business  man  of  Yonkers,  was  born  June 
29,  i860,  in  Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  and  comes  from  sturdy  old  New 
England  stock.  His  father,  Charles  Lake,  was  born  at  Danbury,  Connecti- 
cut, in  18 1 8,  and  departed  this  life  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  He 
was  a  resident  of  Poughkeepsie  for  many  years,  was  a  painter  by  trade,  and 


^22  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

met  with  success  in  his  chosen  field  of  labor.  The  mother  of  our  subject 
passed  away  in  1885.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  namely: 
Adson,  Charles,  William,  Pierson  and  Minnie  Ranson.  All  save  Pierson 
are  residents  of  Yonkers  at  the  present  time. 

William  Lake  obtained  a  liberal  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  town,  and  when  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age  he  reached  the  goal  of 
his  ambition  at  that  time,  for  he  was  accepted  as  a  cadet  in  the  United 
States  Navy.  September  8,  1877,  he  enlisted  in  the  government  service  and 
entered  upon  the  four  years  of  active  work  which  this  implied.  He  was 
assigned  to  the  Minnesota,  on  which  he  remained  until  the  21st  of  the  follow- 
ing March,  when  he  was  drafted  to  serve  on  the  United  States  dispatch  boat, 
Tallapoosa,  and  visited  all  of  the  navy  yards  on  the  Atlantic  coast.  Later, 
he  was  on  the  Franklin  for  some  time,  at  Norfolk,  Virginia.  The  most 
eventful  part  of  his  life  in  the  navy  was  yet  to  come,  for  he  was  transferred 
to  the  Ticonderoga,  commanded  by  Commodore  Shufeldt,  which  vessel  sailed 
under  instructions  of  the  United  States  commerce  commission  to  visit  many 
of  the  important  ports  and  countries  of  the  world,  particularly  in  Asia,  for 
the  purpose  of  adjusting  numerous  small  complications  then  existing,  and  to 
further  our  commercial  interests  on  distant  shores.  They  sailed  from  Ports- 
mouth, New  Hampshire,  November  20,  1878,  followed  the  coast  of  this 
country  as  far  south  as  Hampton  Roads,  and  then  headed  for  the  western 
shores  of  Africa,  touching  at  Sierra  Leone  and  Saint  Paul  de  Loando,  thence 
going  to  St.  Helena  island,  to  Cape  Town,  past  Madagascar  and  the 
Comoro  islands,  and  stopping  at  numerous  ports  in  Turkey  in  Asia,  Arabia, 
Persia  and  India,  and  from  Bombay  sailing  to  Ceylon  and  the  Islands  in  the 
Indian  ocean.  Continuing  this  extended  journey,  the  ship  visited  the  Philip- 
pine islands,  and  made  a  special  call  at  Manila,  after  which  they  crossed  the 
Pacific  to  Honolulu,  in  the  Sandwich  islands,  and  on  the  8th  of  November, 
1880,  arrived  in  the  harbor  at  San  Francisco.  After  sustaining  thorough 
repairs  at  the  Mare  Island  navy  yards,  the  gallant  ship  once  more  started  on  her 
long  journey  around  the  world,  rounded  Cape  Horn,  stopped  at  Rio  Janeiro, 
and  reached  New  York  city  August  23,  1881.  The  brief  notes  given  above 
were  culled  from  the  extremely  interesting  and  comprehensive  diary  which 
Mr.  Lake  kept  during  his  travels.  In  this  journal  are  many  valuable  and 
entertaining  facts  in  regard  to  the  customs  and  habits  of  the  peoples  of  those 
far-away  countries,  and  outlines  of  the  products  and  industries  of  the  various 
lands.  The  general  style,  amusing  incident,  and  breezy  commentary  of  the 
observing  and  youthful  traveler  reflect  great  credit  upon  him  as  a  writer  and 
keen  and  sympathetic  member  of  the  human  family. 

Though  he  had  thoroughly  enjoyed  much  of  his  novel  experience  in  the 
•navy,  Mr.  Lake  was  not   averse  to  entering  upon  another  sphere  of  action 


S/Awr^j^  .:^ykrj^e. 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  623 

at  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service.  He  next  engaged  in  the  carpenter- 
ing trade,  and  in  1885  he  came  to  Yonkers.  Here  he  has  been  occupied  in 
building  and  contracting  for  the  past  nine  years,  and  has  met  with  gratifying 
success.  During  1884-5  he  was  employed  in  the  construction  of  water 
tanks  and  stations  at  various  points  between  Buffalo  and  Poughkeepsie,  along 
the  West  Shore  Railroad. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Lake  and  Miss  Mary  Jane  Burke,  of  Utica,  New 
York,  was  celebrated  in  February,  1884.  They  have  four  children,  namely: 
Charles,  Mabel,  Nathan  and  Hattie. 

Though  his  father  was  a  Republican,  Mr.  Lake  is  a  strong  Democrat,  and 
has  acted  on  the  general  local  committee  of  his  party.  At  one  time  he  was 
the  candidate  for  the  office  of  supervisor,  from  his  ward,  the  fifth,  which  is 
the  strongest  Republican  ward  in  the  city,  and  as  a  matter  of  course  he  was 
defeated.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Carpenters'  Union  and  of  the  Army  & 
Navy  Veterans  Association,  and  has  hosts  of  sincere  friends  here  and  else- 
where. 

ABRAM  BARE. 

New  York  is  pre-eminently  a  dairy  state,  and  her  butter  and  cheese  are 
in  demand,  not  only  in  all  parts  of  our  own  land,  but  abroad  as  well.  This 
industry  has  assumed  mammoth  proportions  in  this  state,  and  large  quanti- 
ties of  the  dairy  product  is  shipped  annually  to  all  parts  of  the  country. 
Probably  in  no  state  in  the  Union  are  so  great  pains  taken  as  here  to  have 
the  surroundings  of  the  dairy  and  its  adjuncts  what  they  should  be.  One  of 
these  model  dairies  is  to  be  found  on  the  farm  of  Abram  Bare,  the  gentleman 
.whose  name  appears  at  the  head  of  this  sketch,  and  in  no  part  of  Westchester 
county  can  be  found  more  complete  or  convenient  arrangements  for  the  care 
of  stock  and  milk  than  he  has  provided  on  his  farm  in  the  town  of  Greenburg, 
this  county.  He  has  been  engaged  in  this  business  for  years  and  reduced  it 
to  a  system  that  seems  hard  to  improve  upon. 

He  is  a  son  of  William  and  Catherine  (Acker)  Bare,  and  was  born  Octo- 
ber 22,  1837,  in  the  town  of  Greenburg,  as  were  his  parents  and  maternal 
grandparents.  His  grandfather,  Edward  Bare,  was  a  native  of  England  who 
came  to  this  country  before  the  war  of  the  Revolution  and  did  valiant  service 
in  the  struggle  for  independence.  He  was  twice  married,  first  to  Miss  Horn, 
and  secondly  to  Catherine  Bond,  who  belonged  to  one  of  the  old  New  Jersey 
families.  William  Bare,  the  father,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Greenburg  in 
1787,  was  a  prominent  and  substantial  farmer  of  that  time,  and  died  in  1856. 
His  wife,  nee  Catherine  Acker,  was  a  native  of  the  same  place  as  was  her 
father,  Abraham  Acker,  who  was  here  reared  to  manhood  and  settled  upon 
a  farm  at  Hall's  Corners.     To  WilHam  and  Catherine  Bare  were  born  four 


624  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

children,  viz.:     Margaret,  wife  of  John  Buckhout,  of  Greenburg;  Isaac  H., 
who  died  in  1895;  Susan,  wife  of  John  Acker;  and  Abram,  our  subject. 

Abram  Bare  spent  the  greater  portion  of  his  childhood  in  Hall's  Corners, 
where  he  was  a  student  of  the  district  school  until  his  fifteenth  year.  After 
that  time  he  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  he  was  twenty-one,  when  he 
began  for  himself  in  the  field  of  husbandry.  During  his  twenty-eighth  year 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Phoebe  Ann  McFadden,  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Ophelia  (Hustes)  McFadden,  the  former  an  early  settler  of  the 
town  of  Greenburg  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Mt.  Pleasant.  They  have  eight 
children,  viz.:  Edward  I.,  of  Yonkers;  Sidney,  of  White  Plains;  Mary, 
wife  of  Norman  Lander;  Hattie,  wife  of  William  Uptegrove;  and  Florence, 
Abraham,  Howard  and  William,  all  at  home.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Bare 
settled  upon  the  homestead  of  his  father-in-law,  John  McFadden,  and  there 
has  since  conducted  a  general  farming  and  dairying  business.  In  1876  he 
purchased  the  farm  he  now  owns  and  operates.  This  farm  consists  of  one 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  he 
has  still  further  added  to  its  attractive  appearance  by  the  erection  of  large, 
commodious  hay  and  cow  barns,  which  are  of  modern  construction  and 
enable  him  to  care  for  his  herd  of  fifty  or  eighty-five  cows  with  the  least  pos- 
sible trouble.  He  has  a  model  dairy,  the  finest  in  the  town.  Mr.  Bare  is  a 
Republican  and  has  served  one  term  as  school  trustee.  He  is  a  man  of  ster- 
ling character  and  occupies  a  high  place  in  the  regards  of  his  neighbors. 


LEMUEL  MONMOUTH  HART. 

Mr.  Hart  is  a  retired  farmer  of  Hartsdale,  New  York,  in  which  state  he- 
was  born  in  December,  1830,  in  the  town  of  Greenburg,  Westchester  county, 
on  the  old  Hart  homestead.  The  family  were  originally  from  England,  and 
the  first  settlement  made  by  any  of  them  in  this  country  was  on  Long  Island, 
whence  they  moved  to  Westchester  county,  to  what  afterward  became  the 
town  of  Greenburg.  The  great-grandfather,  Joseph  Hart,  settled  on  a  por- 
tion of  the  grant  of  land  which  extended  from  the  Harlem  to  the  Croton 
river,  the  same  having  been  originally  owned  by  Frederick  Phillips.  After 
the  Revolution  this  land  was  confiscated  and  sold  to  the  squatters  who  had 
the  first  right  to  it.  The  maternal  great-grandfather  had  also  settled  on  a 
part  of  this  grant  of  land.  Monmouth  Hart  married,  and  his  death  occurred 
in  1832.  Among  his  children  was  Monmouth  Hart,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  who  was  born  -in  Westchester  county  and  was  a  pioneer  farmer. 
He  had  a  family  of  eight  children.  One  of  them,  Monmouth,  the  father  of 
our  subject,  born  and  reared  on  the  old  homestead,  married  Julia  Ann  Tomp- 
kins, a  daughter  of  Thomas  Tompkins,  who  belongs  to  one  of  Westchester's 


CP^S^^-^-*^^^  ^       (Pt^u,^- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  625 

oldest  families.  She  departed  this  life  in  1893,  leaving  a  wide  circle  of  friends 
to  mourn  her  loss.  The  father  followed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer,  and  was 
a  very  prosperous  one.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  his  political  beliefs,  but  never 
suffered  his  name  to  appear  in  connection  with  candidacy  for  any  office, 
although  for  a  number  of  years  he  was  captain  of  the  state  militia,  to  which 
he  was  deeply  attached.  His  death  occurred  in  1845.  He  was  a  member  of 
and  liberal  contributor  to  the  Reformed  church.  Three  sons  were  left  to  bat- 
tle with  the  world, — Joseph  F. ,  who  is  a  resident  of  Illinois;  and  Thomas  T, 
and  Lemuel  M.,  of  Hartsdale. 

Lemuel  M.  Hart  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm,  learning  well  the 
routine  of  farm  work.  He  received  a  good  common-school  education,  and 
later  attended  a  private  school.  He  was  about  fifteen  years  old  when  his 
father  died,  and  he  at  once  took  charge  of  the  business,  managing  it  most 
successfully  with  his  brother  Thomas,  until  1894,  when  they  disposed  of  the 
homestead  and  retired  to  Hartsdale.  His  success  in  farming  is  due  largely 
to  the  fact  that  he  worked  intelligently  and  adopted  modern  methods  when 
they  were  of  actual  service  to  him.  His  industry  and  thrift  have  enabled 
him  to  retire  from  the  active  duties  of  life  and  spend  its  evening  in  a  manner 
more  suited  to  advancing  age. 


HENRY  SAMPSON  CLARKE. 

"Honesty,"  says  Bovee,  "is  said  to  be  the  first  step  toward  greatness; 
but  the  proverb  fails  to  state  the  case  strong  enough:  honesty  is  not  only  the 
first  step  toward  greatness,  it  is  greatness  itself."  A  reputation  for  honesty 
leads  to  a  good  position,  and  this  may  be  said  to  be  at  least  one  step  toward 
the  desired  goal  of  life.  From  almost  every  sketch  in  this  work  we  can  draw 
some  lessons  of  business,  or  of  encouragement,  or  of  noble  aspiration;  and 
with  these  motives  we  present  a  brief  outline  of  the  life  career  of  Mr.  Clarke, 
who  is  a  teller  in  the  Lincoln  National  Bank  of  New  York  city  and  the  presi- 
dent of  the  village  of  New  Rochelle. 

Mr.  Clarke  is  a  native  of  New  York  city,  born  in  April,  1862,  the  son 
of  Hugh  and  Margaret  (Sampson)  Clarke.  His  father  also  was  a  native  of 
that  city,  grew  to  manhood  there  and  was  sergeant  of  the  New  York  police 
department,  with  which  he  was  connected  for  a  period  of  thirty-five  years. 
He  died  in  1896,  in  his  fifty-eighth  year.  In  politics  he  was  a  pronounced 
Democrat.  Our  subject's  mother,  also  a  native  of  New  York  city,  was  a 
daughter  of  Henry  Sampson,  who  was  a  native  of  England. 

Mr.  H.  S.  Clarke  was  reared  in  New  York  city,  receiving  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools,  and  he  commenced  his  business  career  in  the 
capacity  of  a  clerk  in  a  law  office;  next  he  was  employed  in  a  marine-insur- 

40 


626  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

ance  office;  and  in  1882  he  entered  the  service  of  the  Lincoln  National  Bank 
as  paying  teller,  which  responsible  position  he  has  ably  filled  to  the  pres- 
ent time. 

In  state  and  national  matters  he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  in  local 
■matters  independent.  He  has  served  as  trustee  of  the  school  district  and  as 
secretary  of  the  board  of  education  of  New  Rochelle  for  seven  years;  was  also 
secretary  of  the  school  board  for  some  time,  and  in  1892  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  village  for  the  term  of  two  years,  and  by  re-election  is  still 
•  serving. 

In  1882  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Lizzie  M.  Oxner,  a  daugh- 
•ter  of  John  D.  Oxner,  who  was  the  president  of  the  Houston,  West  Street  & 
-Pavonia  Ferry  Railroad  Company,  of  New  York  city.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clarke 
have  three  children, — Mabel  C,  Marietta  and  John  Oxner.  The  fine  resi- 
dence of  the  family  at  123  Woodland  avenue,  New  Rochelle,  was  built  in 
1897,  and  is  located  in  a  fine  residence  district.  The  former  home  was  at 
the  corner  of  Elm  street  and  Leland  avenue.  In  fraternal  matters  Mr. 
Clarke  is  a  member  of  Huguenot  Lodge,  No.  46,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  in  religion 
both  himself  and  wife  are  members  of  Trinity  Episcopal  church  in  New 
JRochelle. 

CARL  WILHELM  PLUME. 

This  estimable  citizen  of  Mount  Vernon  was  born  May  13,  1857,  in 
Goeritz,  Germany,  a  son  of  Martin  Frederick  and  Mary  (Schmidt)  Plume, 
his  father  having  been  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  land,  leaving  them  at  the  age  of  fifteen  to 
learn  the  cabinet-maker's  trade.  He  was  three  years  in  the  German  army, 
as  a  member  of  the  Sixty-sixth  Infantry  Regiment.  He  emigrated  to  Amer- 
ica in  1883,  arriving  June  nth,  and  continued  to  work  at  his  trade  and  at 
carpentering  in  Norfolk,  Virginia.  In  1885  he  came  to  Mount  Vernon  and 
was  employed  as  a  journeyman  at  his  trade  until  some  time  in  1887.  when 
he  engaged  in  the  business  of  contracting  and  building  in  partnership  with 
Albert  S.  Jenks  (see  sketch  of  this  gentleman),  forming  the  firm  of  Jenks  & 
Plume.  This  company  erected  the  post-office  building  and  the  electric-light 
works,  and  over  a  hundred  other  structures  in  and  about  the  city,  employ- 
ing on  average  about  fifty  men;  and  they  now  have  on  hand  contracts  aggre- 
gating thirty  thousand  dollars;  but  they  also  build  many  houses  of  their  own 
for  sale  on  speculation.  Mr.  Jenks  is  the  office  manager,  while  Mr.  Plume 
is  the  superintending  architect. 

In  his  political  principles  Mr.  Plume  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  is  a  member 
of  Hiawatha  Lodge,  No.  434,  F.  &A.  M.,  of  Golden  Rod  Council,  No.  1316, 
Royal  Arcanum,  and  of  the  Knights  of  Malta,  of  Mount  Vernon. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  627 

February  22,  1886,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  Treto, 
daughter  of  John  Treto,  of  Germany,  and  they  have  had  five  sons, — William, 
Albert  V.,  George,  Henry  and  Frederick.  The  last  two  are  deceased.  The 
family  attend  the  Lutheran  church,  of  which  Mr.  Plume  is  a  member. 


FRANK  P.  COXE. 


The  well  known  town  clerk  of  Harrison  township,  and  a  prominent 
grocer  of  Harrison  station,  Mr.  Frank  P.  Coxe,  has  a  rather  remarkable 
record,  as  he  started  out  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world  at  the  age  of 
nine  years.  The  spirit  of  self-help  is  the  source  of  all  genuine  worth  in  the 
individual,  and  is  the  means  of  bringing  to  man  success  when  he  has  no 
advantages  of  wealth  or  influence  to  aid  him.  It  illustrates  in  no  uncertain 
manner  what  it  is  possible  to  accomplish  when  perseverance  and  determina- 
tion form  the  keynote  of  a  man's  life.  Depending  on  his  own  resources, 
looking  for  no  outside  aid  or  support,  he  has  risen  from  comparative  obscur- 
ity to  a  place  of  prominence  both  in  the  commercial  and  political  world. 

Mr.  Coxe  was  born  in  New  York  city,  July  4,  i860,  amid  the  booming 
of  cannons  and  the  noise  of  fire-crackers  on  our  great  national  holiday.  His 
father,  Christopher  Coxe,  who  was  a  contractor  and  builder  by  occupation, 
was  of  English  extraction  and  of  good  old  Quaker  stock,  while  his  mother, 
who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Margaret  Agatha  Fitz,  was  of  Irish  and  Ger- 
man descent.  As  previously  stated,  our  subject  began  earning  his  own  live- 
lihood at  the  age  of  nine  years,  and  his  educational  privileges  were  therefore 
limited;  but  by  practical  experience  in  the  business  world  he  has  become  a 
well-informed  man,  especially  on  the  leading  questions  and  issues  of  the  day. 
He  was  interested  in  railroading  for  a  time,  was  collector  for  a  business  firm, 
and  later  was  in  the  grocery  and  real-estate  business  in  New  York.  He  was 
always  faithful  to  his  employers'  interests,  and  his  services  gave  the  utmost 
satisfaction  to  all  concerned.  Since  1892  he  has  been  a  resident  of  West- 
chester county,  and  successfully  carried  on  business  as  a  grocer  at  Harrison, 
where  he  soon  succeeded  in  building  up  a  good  trade. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-four  years  Mr.  Coxe  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Jennie  Seymour,  of  New  York  city,  where  she  was  reared  and  educated, 
and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  three  children,  namely:  Walter,  Frank 
and  Bertha. 

Mr.  Coxe  is  one  of  the  most  progressive  and  enterprising  citizens  of  his 
community,  and  gives  a  liberal  support  to  all  measures  which  he  believes 
calculated  to  prove  of  public  benefit.  He  was  one  of  the  promoters  and 
organizers  of  the  Harrison  Fire  Company,  was  one  of  those  who  called  its 
first  meetings,  and  from  the  beginning  has  been  officially  connected  with  the 


628  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

company;  has  been  an  efficient  member  of  the  school  board,  and  emphasizes 
the  necessity  of  improving  the  highways.  Being  careful  and  methodical  in 
his  way  of  doing  business,  he  is  now  serving  his  third  term  as  town  clerk  of 
Harrison  township,  the  duties  of  which  position  he  discharges  with  credit  to 
himself  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  general  public.  Politically  he  is 
a  stalwart  Democrat,  and,  though  loyal  to  his  party,  at  local  elections  he 
always  supports  the  man  whom  he  believes  best  qualified  to  fill  the  office, 
regardless  of  party  ties.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows. 

THOMAS  BREWER. 

Thomas  Brewer  is  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  village  of  Mamaro- 
neck.  For  many  years  he  was  prominently  connected  with  its  business 
interest,  but  is  now  living  retired  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  fruits  of  his  former 
toil.  He  was  born  on  the  12th  of  April,  1832,  in  St.  Columb,  Cornwall, 
England,  his  parents  being  Thomas  and  Mary  (Tink)  Brewer.  His  father 
was  an  agriculturist  and  Thomas  spent  his  early  boyhood  days  upon  the 
home  farm,  but  while  still  quite  young  was  apprenticed  to  the  saddlery  and 
harness-making  trade,  serving  for  the  regular  term  of  seven  years.  During 
that  time  he  thoroughly  mastered  the  business  in  every  detail  and  became  a 
proficient  workman.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  was  married  and  imme- 
diately afterward  came  to  America,  making  the  voyage  on  a  sailing  vessel 
which  reached  its  destination  after  seven   weeks   spent  upon  the  briny  deep. 

Mr.  Brewer  located  in  New  Rochelle,  New  York,  his  place  of  settlement 
being  influenced  by  the  fact  that  it  was  the  home  of  an  old  acquaintance, 
Joseph  Harvey.  There  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  harness  and  sad- 
dlery for  a  number  of  years,  and  in  1854  came  to  Mamaroneck,  where  he 
"  carried  on  business  along  the  same  line  for  thirty  years.  Success  attended 
his  enterprise  and  well  directed  efforts,  and  his  patronage  constantly  increas- 
ing he  derived  from  his  business  an  excellent  income.  He  is  now  living 
retired,  save  that  he  is  financially  interested  in  the  Union  Savings  Bank,  and 
holds  the  office  of  vice-president  in  that  institution. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Brewer  has  always  been  a  stalwart  Repub- 
lican and  takes  an  active  interest  in  local  politics,  but  has  never  been  an 
aspirant  for  office.  For  nineteen  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Royal 
Arcanum  and  in  business  and  social  circles  he  is  held  in  the  highest  regard. 
He  married  Miss  Ann  Grigg,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Cornwall,  England, 
and  departed  this  life  January  6,  1894. 

Reuben  G.  Brewer,  their  only  child,  was  born  in  New  Rochelle,  New 
York,  on  the  22d  of  July,  1853.  He  acquired  his  literary  education  in  the 
schools  of  Westchester  county  and  supplemented  it  by  a  commercial  course 


^Wa^   (Wv\'-e,-v— 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  629 

in  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business  College,  of  New  York  city.  At  the  time  he 
completed  his  education,  George  I.  Seney  was  president  of  the  Metropolitan 
Bank,  of  New  York.  Going  to  Mr.  Brewer's  father,  he  told  him  he  wished 
to  take  his  son  into  the  bank,  and  thus  it  was  that  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years 
Reuben  G.  Brewer  entered  upon  his  career  as  a  banker.  His  determination 
to  master  the  business,  his  fidelity  and  efficiency,  won  him  promotion  to  the 
rank  of  assistant  teller,  in  which  capacity  he  was  serving  at  the  time  of  the 
failure  of  the  bank,  in  1883.  He  then  secured  a  position  as  bookkeeper  in 
the  Pacific  Bank,  at  No.  470  Broadway,  New  York,  where  he  remained  until 
1887,  when  he  returned  to  his  old  home  in  Mamaroneck  and  became  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  Union  Savings  Bank,  of  which  he  was  made  treasurer. 
In  1 89 1  he  aided  in  the  organization  of  the  Mamaroneck  Bank  and  has  con- 
tinuously filled  the  position  of  cashier,  in  addition  to  his  duties  as  treasurer 
in  the  other  bank.  Long  years  of  experience  have  given  him  a  thorough 
understanding  of  the  banking  business,  and  his  ability  in  the  management  of 
such  institutions  is  unsurpassed  in  this  section  of  the  state.  Other  industries 
have  also  been  benefited  by  his  skillful  direction  and  sound  judgment,  and 
he  is  now  connected  with  the  firm  of  Foshay  &  Brewer,  the  leading  dealers 
in  lumber,  coal  and  hardware  in  the  village. 

In  1877  Mr.  Brewer  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Irene  E.  Delanoy, 
of  Mamaroneck,  and  they  have  five  children:  Reuben  P.,  who  is  now  book- 
keeper and  assistant  teller  in  his  father's  bank;  Nellie,  Winnifred,  Irene  and 
Elizabeth,  all  living  at  their  pleasant  parental  home. 

Mr.  Brewer  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the  men  and 
measures  of  the  Republican  party,  and  does  all  in  his  power  to  promote  the 
growth  and  insure  the  success  of  his  party  in  this  locality.  He  has  served  as 
treasurer  of  the  village  and  of  the  public-school  fund  of  Mamaroneck,  and  has 
held  the  same  office  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  has  discharged 
these  official  duties  with  the  same  thoroughness  and  fidelity  that  have  char- 
acterized all  his  business  transactions,  and  at  all  times  he  is  found  true  and 
faithful  to  every  trust  reposed  in  him. 


JOHN  REEDY. 

The  genial  and  popular  station  agent  at  Pocantico  Hills,  Westchester 
county,  was  born  March  26,  1852,  in  Kingston,  Middlesex  county,  New  Jer- 
sey, and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Reidener)  Reedy.  The  father  was 
of  Irish  parentage  and  was  a  railroad  man  by  occupation.  The  boyhood  and 
youth  of  our  subject  was  passed  in  his  native  state  and  in  New  York,  and  his 
education  was  received  in  the  public  schools.  In  early  life  he  learned  teleg- 
raphy and  soon  became  a  good  operator.    He  held  a  responsible  position  with 


630  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

the  elevated  railway  in  New  York  city  for  about  twelve  years  before  coming 
to  Pocantico  Hills,  where  he  has  made  his  home  since  1887,  and  has  served 
as  station  agent  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  railroad  company. 

In  1878  Mr.  Reedy  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ella  McCarthy,  by 
whom  he  has  had  nine  children,  but  five  died  either  in  infancy  or  early  child- 
hood. Those  still  living  are  Margaret,  John,  William  and  Leo.  Mr.  Reedy 
is  a  man  just  in  the  prime  of  life,  weighing  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  and 
reminds  one  very  much  of  the  Hon.  Thomas  Reed  in  physique  and  appear- 
ance. 

By  his  ability  as  a  railroad  man  he  has  gained  the  good  will  and  esteem 
of  his  employers,  and  by  his  affable  and  jovial  manner  has  won  the  high 
regard  and  friendship  of  those  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact  either  in 
business,  social  or  political  life.  As  a  business  man  he  is  careful  and  methodi- 
cal, and  duties  entrusted  to  his  care  have  been  discharged  with  the  utmost 
promptness  and  fidelity.  His  fellow  citizens,  recognizing  his  worth  and 
ability,  have  called  him  to  public  office,  and  he  has  served  as  tax-collector  in 
his  school  district  for  five  years.  In  1888  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of 
Pocantico  under  President  Cleveland,  served  also  under  President  Harrison, 
and  one  year  under  McKinley. 


MERWIN  SNIFFIN. 


The  gentleman  whose  name  we  place  at  the  head  of  this  review  is 
classed  with  the  leading  merchants  of  White  Plains,  Westchester  county, 
New  York.  In  this  county  he  was  born  and  reared  and  here  several  genera- 
tions of  the  family  have  lived  and  died.  The  Sniffins  are  of  Enghsh  and 
Scotch  descent.  Representatives  of  the  family  came  over  to  America  at  an 
early  period  in  the  history  of  this  country  and  established  their  home  in  this 
county  shortly  after  the  removal  of  the  Indians  from  this  place.  Here  Ben- 
jamin Sniffin  and  Harris  Sniffin,  the  grandfather  and  father  of  our  subject, 
were  born,  the  latter  being  a  native  of  the  town  of  Middle  Patent,  and  by 
occupation  a  farmer  and  merchant.  For  many  years  he  was  engaged  in 
business  in  Greenburg,  where  he  was  well  and  favorably  known,  and  where 
he  died,  in  1.849.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  was,  before  marriage. 
Miss  Phoebe  Brundage.  She  was  born  in  the  town  of  Mount  Pleasant,  this 
county,  and  died  in  1870,  in  her  fifty-eighth  year.  Her  father,  Robert 
Brundage,  was  a  native  of  the  same  county,  and  died  here  in  1832.  Harris 
and  Phoebe  Sniffin  had  eight  children,— four  sons  and  four  daughters.  Three 
of  the  sons  are  business  men  of  White  Plains. 

Merwin  Sniffin  was  born  in  Greenburg,  New  York,  May  13,  1834,  and 
was  reared  chiefly  in  the  town  of  Greenburg.      Leaving  school  at  the  age  of 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  631 

sixteen  to  assist  his  father  in  the  store,  he  early  acquired  a  knowledge  of 
business  and  men.  After  some  years  spent  in  his  father's  store  he  engaged 
in  business  on  his  own  account,  opening  up  a  stock  of  boots  and  shoes  in 
White  Plains,  and  continuing  in  business  there  until  the  outbreak  of  the 
civil  war. 

Disposing  of  his  business  interests,  Mr.  Sniffin  enlisted,  in  1862,  in  Com- 
pany B,  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fifth  New  York  Volunteer  Infantry,  under 
Colonel  William  H.  Morris  and  Captain  E.  W.  Andrews.  This  regiment 
belonged  to  the  Third  Brigade,  Third  Division  and  Fifth  Army  Corps,  and 
was  commanded  by  General  Warren.  Mr.  Sniffin  with  his  command  par- 
ticipated in  a  number  of  battles  and  small  engagements  and  was  in  active 
duty  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Among  the  prominent  actions  in  which  he 
took  part  were  those  of  Ahtietam,  Gettysburg,  the  Wilderness,  Petersburg 
and  Cedar  creek.  His  whole  service  was  characterized  by  faithfulness  and 
true  bravery,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  honorably  discharged. 

Returning  to  his  home  in  White  Plains  in  1865,  he  has  since  resided 
here.  The  first  year  he  was  employed  in  work  at  the  carpenter's  trade;  in 
1867  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business,  on  the  principal  street  of  the  town, 
where  he  soon  by  his  courtesy  and  honorable  business  methods  built  up  a 
good  trade,  and  where  he  has  since  continued  to  do  a  prosperous  business, 
and  to-day  he  ranks  with  the  leading  and  most  successful  merchants  of  White 
Plains. 

In  1870  Mr.  Sniilin  married  Miss  Phoebe  Martin,  of  Fordam,  New  York, 
daughter  of  Cornelius  Martin.  Their  union  has  been  blessed  in  the  birth  of 
one  daughter,  now  the  wife  of  F  W.  Clark,  of  Mount  Vernon.  By  his 
second  marriage  Mr.  Sniffin  has  two  daughters,  Mabel  and  Clara,  both  attend- 
ing school. 

Like  most  veterans  of  the  late  war,  Mr.  Sniffin  is  identified  with  that  popu- 
lar organization,  the  G.  A.  R. ,  and  has  a  membership  in  Cromwell  Post.  Also 
he  is  a  member  of  White  Plains  Lodge,  No.  473,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  in  his  polit- 
ical views  he  has  always  harmonized  with  the  Repubhcan  party. 


WILLIAM    H.    A.   HORSFALL. 

From  most  of  the  biographical  material  in  this  volume  we  draw  lessons 
of  ambition,  industry,  perseverance,  integrity,  etc.,  "  for  the  young;"  but  in 
this  instance  we  find  a  young  man  who  in  due  time  learned  the  lessons  and 
has  been  improving  by  them  from  the  very  earliest  practicable  period  to  the 
present,  and  is  pushing  the  older  members  of  his  profession  hard  and  fast 
before  him. 

This  young  man  was  born  January  22,  1871,  in  New  York  city,  a  son  of 


632  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

John  Henry  and  Julia  (Lane)  Horsfall.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  that  city  and  subsequently  pursued  a  course  of  scientific 
study  under  a  private  tutor  for  three  years.  Next,  preparing  himself  for  a 
high  position  as  an  architect,  he  completed  a  course  of  special  training  in 
the  office  of  an  architect  and  finally  a  special  course  in  Pratt's  Archi- 
tectural Institute.  For  the  practice  of  his  profession  he  first  located  at 
Mount  Vernon  and  operated  here  for  three  years,  and  the  next  three  years 
he  followed  the  charms  of  his  chosen  art  in  New  York  city  for  the  Suburban 
Finance  and  Construction  Company.  Meanwhile  he  continued  his  office  at 
Mount  Vernon;  but,  owing  to  the  pressure  of  his  rapidly  growing  practice  here 
at  Mount  Vernon  he  has  since  confined  himself  to  this  place,  in  October,  1894, 
opening  spacious  offices  at  2  and  4  Park  avenue.  In  his  work  so  far  he  has 
been  chiefly  engaged  upon  private  residences.  Among  the  more  important 
public  buildings  which  he  has  designed  and  built  are  the  City  Club  building, 
the  police  headquarters,  the  Valentine  storage  house  and  St.  Francis'  church, 
Roman  Catholic,  in  New  York  city,  besides  Henry  Cannon's  residence  at 
Irvington  and  his  own  handsome  country  seat.  During  the  short  time  he  has 
been  engaged  in  business  in  Mount  Vernon  he  has  planned  and  built  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  houses,  having  as  many  as  fifteen  on  hand  at  a  time.  He 
employs  three  assistants  as  draughtsmen  at  the  office.  He  is  a  rising  young 
man,  and  the  brightest  period  of  his  life  is  still  before  him. 

Socially  he  is  Very  popular.  He  has  served  in  the  Eleventh  Separate 
Company  (military)- of  Mount  Vernon,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
church. 

November  6,  1895,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Alice  Porter,  of  Lenox,  Mas- 
sachusetts, a  daughter  of  George  Porter,  of  Revolutionary  stock. 


MICHAEL  J.   MARTIN. 


The  efficient  assessor  of  Mount  Pleasant  township,  and  a  prominent  ma- 
son and  contractor  residing  in  North  Tarrytown,  Michael  J.  Martin  was  born 
on  the  28th  of  September,  1854,  on  the  same  street  where  he  now  lives,  a 
son  of  poor  but  worthy  parents,  both  natives  of  the  Emerald  Isle.  The  fa- 
ther, Daniel  Martin,  was  a  teamster  and  remained  in  Ireland  until  1846, 
when  he  came  to  the  United  States,  with  the  hope  of  bettering  his  financial 
condition.  At  the  old  Matt  street  Catholic  church,  of  New  York  city,  he  was 
united  m  marriage  with  Bridget  McCaley,  who  made  him  a  good  wife  and 
who  is  now  living  with  our  subject,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years,  but  the 
father's  death  occurred  in  1869. 

Eight  sons  were  born  to  this  worthy  couple,  Michael  J.  Martin  being  the 
sixth  in  order  of  birth.      At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  took  up  silk-spinning  and 


^o^a^tyU 


/XA^c^ty'L^ 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  633 

-was  thus  employed  for  three  years.  Following  this  he  was  for  two  years  en- 
gaged in  the  butcher  business  with  Henry  Fischer,  after  which  he  was,  for  two 
years,  in  the  same  business  for  himself.  He  then  removed  to  New  York 
city,  locating  in  the  old  ninth  ward,  with  whose  political  interests  he  was 
identified  for  some  years,  during  which  time  he  voted  for  John  Kelley  for 
governor.  He  also  carried  on  business  there  as  a  butcher.  In  1880  he  re- 
■turned  to  his  native  town  and,  after  clerking  for  a  time,  embarked  in  his  pres- 
ent business  as  a  mason  and  contractor. 

On  the  7th  of  February,  1880,  at  the  old  cathedral  on  Matt  street.  New 
York  city,  where  his  parents  were  wedded  many  years  previous,  Mr.  Martin 
led  to  the  marriage  altar  Miss  Lucy  Fairbrother,  who  was  born,  reared  and 
educated  in  that  city,  a  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Sophia  Fairbrother.  Of  the 
five  children  born  of  this  union,  Daniel  Richard  and  Joseph  are  still  living, 
while  three  died  when  young:  Mary,  Agnes  and  Lucy. 

Mr.  Martin  has  always  taken  an  active  and  prominent  part  in  political 
affairs  and  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  influential  members  of  the 
Democracy  in  North  Tarrytown  and  Mount  Pleasant  township,  being  a  zeal- 
ous worker  for  his  party's  interests.  As  a  delegate  to  numerous  conventions 
he  has  rendered  his  party  effective  service,  was  instrumental  in  nominating 
Ralph  Baker  and  John  Gibney,  and  worked  earnestly  for  their  election,  and 
also  supported  Isaac  Turner  in  the  fall  of  1898.  He  keeps  well  posted  on 
the  leading  questions  and  issues  of  the  day,  and  is  therefore  well  able  to  vote 
intelligently  on  every  measure  that  comes  up.  He  has  most  ably  served  his 
fellow  citizens  in  the  capacity  of  assessor  of  Mount  Pleasant  township  and 
took  an  active  part  in  the  great  assessor's  case  against  John  D.  and  William 
Rockefeller,  which  attracted  so  much  attention  all  over  the  United  States. 
Mr.  Martin  has  also  served  on  the  board  of  health,  has  been  chief  and  treas- 
urer of  the  fire-department,  and  was  a  member  and  first  assistant  engineer  of 
the  old  hook  and  ladder  company,  with  which  he  was  officially  connected  for 
many  years.  He  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  Court  Fremont,  No. 
258,  Ancient  Order  of  Foresters  of  America,  at  Tarrytown;  served  as  treas- 
urer for  that  court,  and  also  as  chief  ranger,  being  elected  to  the  latter  office 
three  times  in  succession.  In  all  the  relations  of  life  he  has  been  found  true 
to  every  trust  reposed  in  him,  and  he  has  a  host  of  warm  friends  throughout 
his  native  county. 

J.  ALBERT  MAHLSTEDT. 

Mr.  Mahlstedt  is  president  of  the  J.  A.  Mahlstedt  Lumber  &  Coal  Com- 
pany, of  New  Rochelle,  New  York,  and  has  demonstrated  the  true  meaning 
of  the  word  success  as  the  full  accomplishment  of  an  honorable  purpose. 
Energy,  close  application,  perseverance  and  good  management, —  these  are 


634  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

the  elements  which  have  entered  into  his  business  career  and  crowned  his 
efforts  with  prosperity. 

Mr.  Mahlstedt  was  born  in  New  York  city,  in  1853,  a  son  of  J.  A.  and 
Margaret  (Meyer)  Mahlstedt,  both  natives  of  Germany.  The  father  was 
born  in  the  village  of  Laste,  in  September,  1830,  and  was  a  son  of  Jacob  and 
Margaret  (Bell)  Mahlstedt.  In  1849  J.  A.  Mahlstedt,  Sr.,  emigrated  with 
his  family  to  the  United  States,  embarking  upon  a  sailing  vessel,  and  as  the 
winds  were  favorable  they  made  the  voyage  in  twenty-seven  days.  Arriving 
in  New  York  city,  he  located  there  and  made  that  place  his  home  until  1853, 
when  he  came  to  New  Rochelle,  Westchester  county.  Here  he  engaged  in 
general  mercantile  business  for  a  time,  and  in  connection  with  it  he  became 
interested  in  the  ice  business,  which  he  continued  to  follow  after  disposing  of 
his  stock  of  goods,  building  up  a  large  and  profitable  trade.  When  he  retired 
from  the  ice  business,  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  J.  Albert,  who'is  to-day 
carrying  on  a  large  wholesale  business  as  dealer  in  ice,  the  lumber  and  coal 
business  being  largely  retail.  The  lumber  and  coal  sheds  are  the  most  exten- 
sive in  the  place,  and  are  arranged  for  both  security  and  convenience.  He 
still  conducts  a  large  wholesale  ice  business,  employing  large  bodies  of  men 
and  teams  in  harvesting  the  ice.  He  is  one  of  the  most  energetic  and  pro- 
gressive business  men  of  New  Rochelle.  His  brother,  George  W.  Mahl- 
stedt, is  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  J.  A.  Mahlstedt  Lumber  &  Coal 
Company. 

In  1884  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  J.  Albert  Mahlstedt  and  Miss 
Margaret  L.  Holler,  of  Mount  Vernon,  New  York,  in  which  place  she  was 
born  and  reared,  being  a  daughter  of  John  P.  Holler,  a  highly  respected  citi- 
zen of  Mount  Vernon.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mahlstedt  now  have  a  family  of  five 
children,  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  namely:  J.  Albert,  John  F.,  Henry 
G.,  Robert  A.  and  Margaret  L.  The  elegant  home  of  the  family  is  located 
on  the  old  Porter  homestead,  and  is  noted  for  its  hospitality  and  good  cheer. 

Mr.  Mahlstedt  takes  an  active  part  in  all  matters  of  interest  to  his  vil- 
lage, and  has  most  acceptably  served  as  treasurer  of  New  Rochelle  for  four 
terms;  trustee  and  treasurer  of  the  Union  free  schools,  of  upper  New 
Rochelle.  He  has  also  been  connected  with  the  fire  department  for  many 
years,  being  a  member  of  Enterprise  Hook  &  Ladder  Company  nineteen 
years,  and  treasurer  of  the  same  for  twelve  years.  He  is  treasurer  of  the 
public  schools  of  New  Rochelle,  and  president  of  the  Standard  Improvement 
Company,  which  since  its  organization  has  been  incorporated  under  the  state 
laws  of  New  York.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  board  of  trade  of 
New  Rochelle,  and  is  treasurer  of  the  same.  The  village  has  no  more  enter- 
prising or  public-spirited  citizen,— one  willing  to  aid  every  object  for  the 
good  of  the  community. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  635 


ELBERT  T.  BAILEY. 


This  well-known  real-estate  dealer  and  insurance  agent  of  Mount  Kisco, 
New  York,  eminently  deserves  classification  among  the  purely  self-made  men 
who  have  distinguished  themselves  for  their  ability  to  master  the  opposing 
forces  of  life  and  to  wrest  from  fate  a  large  measure  of  success  and  an  hon- 
orable name. 

He  was  born  in  Sing  Sing,  New  York,  and  is  a  son  of  Benjamin  Bailey, 
also  a  native  of  Westchester  county,  where  his  early  life  was  spent.  He 
published  a  newspaper  at  Sing  Sing  for  several  years  and  later  became  a 
noted  criminal  lawyer,  enjoying  a  large  practice  in  Putnam  and  adjoining 
counties  and  being  remarkably  successful  in  his  trial  of  cases.  He  made  his 
home  in  Carmel,  Putnam  county,  but  also  had  an  office  in  New  York  city. 
He  represented  that  county  in  the  state  legislature  for  three  years,  always 
took  an  active  and  influential  part  in  political  affairs,  and  at  one  time  was  the 
Democratic  candidate  for  congress  from  his  district,  but  was  defeated.  He 
was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  New  York  &  Harlem  Railroad  and 
served  as  attorney  of  the  same  for  several  years.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
sixty-two  years.  His  father  was  also  a  native  of  Westchester  county.  Our 
subject's  mother,  who  was  an  active  and  prominent  member  of  the  Methodist 
church,  was  in  her  maidenhood  Miss  Calista  Wilson,  of  this  county,  and  died 
at  about  the  age  of  sixty-three.  Of  her  four  children  two  died  while  young, 
and  our  subject  is  the  older  of  the  two  now  living.  William  F.  is  now  a 
distinguished  citizen  of  Eau  Claire,  Wisconsin,  and  has  served  as  supreme- 
court  judge  of  that  state  for  the  past  six  years.  During  the  civil  war  he 
entered  the  service  as  private  but  was  soon  detailed  as  private  secretary  to 
General  Sedgwick.  In  Westchester  county  he  raised  a  company,  which  was 
mustered  into  the  United  States  service  as  Company  K,  Ninety-fifth  New 
York  Infantry,  and  he  served  as  captain  of  the  same. 

The  boyhood  and  youth  of  Elbert  T.  Bailey  was  principally  passed  at 
Carmel,  Putnam  county,  where  he  attended  both  public  and  private  schools, 
and  later  became  a  student  in  the  seminary  at  North  Salem,  Westchester 
county.  At  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war,  however,  he  laid  aside  his  school- 
books  and  entered  the  Union  service  with  his  brother,  as  orderly  sergeant, 
but  shortly  afterward  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  second  lieutenant  and 
served  as  such  until  discharged  on  account  of  physical  disability.  For  two^ 
months  he  lay  in  a  hospital,  ill  with  diphtheria  and  typhoid  fever,  and  then 
was  taken  home  by  his  father.  Among  his  most  cherished  possessions  is  a 
sword  presented  him  by  the  citizens  of  Carmel.  On  his  recovery  he  accepted 
a  position  as  operator  at  New  York  city  for  the  Western  Union  Telegraph 
Company,    with   which  he   remained  for  a  couple  of  years,    and  was  then 


^36  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

appointed  agent  at  Hillsdale,  Columbia  county,  New  York,  being  located 
there  for  about  three  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  came  as  agent  to 
Mount  Kisco  and  most  acceptably  filled  that  position  for  a  quarter  of  a  cent- 
ury, or  until  1893,  when  he  resigned.  In  the  meantime  he  had  become 
interested  in  the  real-estate  and  insurance  business,  which  now  claims  a  con- 
siderable degree  of  his  attention.  In  company  with  D.  Waldron  Bailey,  he 
has  also  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  yellow-pine,  poplar  and  locust  lum- 
ber at  Elkin,  North  Carolina,  since  1895,  and  that  enterprise  also  is  proving 
very  profitable.  In  1894  he  was  appointed  by  the  supreme  court,  one  of  the 
commissioners  to  appraise  the  condemned  property  of  the  water  way  between 
Brewster's  and  Croton  Falls  on  Croton  river,  which  supplies  New  York  city 
with  water,  and  is  still  filling  that  responsible  position  with  credit  and  ability. 

Mr.  Bailey  married  Miss  Josephine  Holmes,  of  Mount  Kisco,  a  daughter 
of  Joseph  Holmes,  also  a  native  of  Westchester  county,  and  they  have  be- 
come the  parents  of  four  children:  W.  Frank,  who  is  engaged  in  the  real- 
■estate  and  insurance  business  with  his  father,  and  is  also  an  expert  witness 
for  the  city  of  New  York  on  condemned  real-estate;  D.  Waldron,  who  is 
with  his  father  in  the  lumber  business  in  North  Carolina;  Jennie  B.,  at  home; 
and  George  L.  T. ,  who  is  engaged  in  mercantile  business  in  North  Carolina. 

Politically,  Mr.  Bailey  is  a  stanch  and  active  Democrat,  who  ranks 
among  the  most  honored  counselors  of  his  party,  and  his  opinions  and  advice 
are  continually  sought  on  questions  of  the  greatest  importance  to  the  city. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  and  president  of  the  same  for 
several  years;  has  been  president  of  the  village  three  or  four  years;  and  rep- 
resented the  town  of  Bedford  as  county  committeeman  for  several  years. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  charter  member  of  Kisco  Lodge,  No.  708,  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  is  now  an  honored  member  of  Stewart 
Hart  Post,  G.  A.  R. ,  of  which  he  was  the  first  commander,  an  office  he  con- 
tinued to  fill  for  several  years. 


GEORGE  L.  MILLER. 


"  Earn  thy  reward;  the  gods  give  naught  to  sloth,"  said  the  sage  Epi- 
charmus,  and  the  truth  of  the  admonition  has  been  verified  in  human  affairs 
in  all  the  ages  which  have  rolled  their  course  since  his  day.  The  subject  to 
■whose  life  history  we  now  direct  attention  has,  by  ceaseless  toil  and  endeavor, 
attained  a  marked  success  in  business  affairs,  has  gained  the  respect  and  con- 
fidence of  men,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  distinctively  representative 
citizens  of  White  Plains.  For  many  years  he  has  been  prominently  identi- 
fied with  its  building  interests  and  has  thus  become  known  as  an  important 
factor  in  industrial  circles  in  Westchester  county. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  QBT 

Mr.  Miller  was  born  in  White  Plains,  January  6, 1849,  and  belongs  to  one 
of  the  old  families  of  the  county,  long  connected  with  its  history.  The  family 
is  of  German  origin  and  in  colonial  days  was  founded  in  America.  The  great- 
grandfather of  our  subject  was  Robert  Miller,  who  married  Annie  Fisher,  and 
after  the  battle  of  White  Plains  their  home  was  used  as  the  headquarters  of 
General  Washington  for  sometime.  Mrs.  Miller  was  a  very  devout  Method- 
ist and  her  home  was  the  place  of  entertainment  for  all  the  Methodist  minis- 
ters that  visited  the  neighborhood.  Many  of  the  meetings  of  that  denomi- 
nation were  also  held  in  her  house.  Elijah  Miller,  the  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in  Westchester  county  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He 
married  his  cousin,  Lettie  Miller,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  Leonard 
Miller,  father  of  George  L.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  White  Plains, 
Westchester  county,  in  1810,  became  a  contractor  and  builder  and  erected 
many  of  the  substantial  residences  in  the  county-seat  and  surrounding  coun- 
try. He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Central  Bank  of  Westchester 
county,  of  which  he  was  made  president,  serving  in  that  responsible  position 
for  some  time,  and  continuing  to  act  as  a  member  of  the  directorate  up  to 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  May,  1884.  His  wife  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Eliza  Jane  Renoud,  and  was  born  in  Rye,  Westchester 
county,  in  18 17.  Her  father  was  Stephen  Renoud,  whose  father  was  a  de- 
scendant of  the  French  Huguenots,  and  located  in  Westchester  county,  near 
New  Rochelle.  The  former  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being  a  Miss- 
Travis,  by  whom  he  had  one  daughter.  His  second  wife  was  Martha  Purdy 
and  by  this  marriage  he  had  three  children,  a  son  and  two  daughters. 

George  L.  Miller,  the  well-known  contractor  and  builder  of  White 
Plains,  spent  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  this  city,  and  acquired  his  education 
in  its  public  schools.  In  1869  he  began  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade  with- 
his  father,  and  after  he  had  mastered  the  business  he  did  considerable  work 
along  that  line  in  Rockland  and  Orange  counties,  New  York.  Returning  to 
White  Plains,  he  became  a  manager  of  his  father's  business, — an  association 
that  was  maintained  until  1876,  when  our  subject  began  contracting  and 
building  on  his  own-  account.  A  good  measure  of  success  has  attended  his 
indefatigable  and  well-directed  efforts.  He  has  taken  contracts  for  the 
erection  of  many  of  the  best  residences  in  White  Plains  and  vicinity,  as  well 
as  business  houses,  churches  and  public  buildings.  His  fidelity  to  the  terms 
of  a  contract,  excellent  workmanship  and  honorable  dealings  have  brought  to 
him  a  very  liberal  patronage,  and  on  all  sides  stand  evidences  of  his  handi- 
work and  skill. 

In  October,  1876,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Miller  and  Miss 
Esther  A.  Coles,  of  Greenburg,  Westchester  county,  the  second  daughter  of 
James  and  Esther  (Van  Wart)  Coles.     She  was  born  in  this  county,  where 


688  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

she  also  spent  her  girlhood  and  school  days.  Her  grandfather  was  Robert 
Coles,  a  son  of  James  Coles.  Her  maternal  grandfather  was  Isaac  Van 
Wart,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who  valiantly  fought  for  the  independence  of 
the  nation,  being  one  of  the  party  which  captured  Major  Andre.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Miller  have  one  child,  a  daughter,  Lena  Adelle.  Their  home  is  one  of 
the  substantial  residences  on  Broadway,  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  pretty 
lawn  and  attractive  surroundings.  In  politics  Mr.  Miller  af&Hates  with  the 
Republicans  and  takes  considerable  interest  in  local  and  county  politics.  He 
is  now  serving  as  trustee  of  White  Plains  and  is  progressive  and  public- 
spirited  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties.  He  is  loyal  as  a  citizen,  honorable  in 
business,  and  popular  among  a  large  circle  of  friends. 


MATTHEW  J.   HALL,   M.  D. 

Dr.  M.  J.  Hall,  a  successful  practitioner  of  medicine  in  Mamaroneck,  has 
started  out  upon  a  long  and  brilliant  career  of  responsibility,  awkward  duties 
and  disagreeable  works  of  charity;  but  he  has  the  talent,  the  physical  ability 
and  the  disposition  to  acquit  himself  well. 

The  Doctor  is  a  native  of  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts,  born  April  lo, 
1864,  and  at  that  place  was  brought  up  and  educated  in  the  public  elementary 
and  high  schools.  He  began  the  study  of  medicine  under  a  thorough  physi- 
cian, Dr.  B.  C.  Howland,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  was  matriculated 
at  the  New  York  Homeopathic  Medical  College,  of  New  York  city,  and  after 
three  years  of  arduous  study  received  the  diploma  of  the  institution.  After 
filling  the  position  of  resident  physician  at  what  is  now  the  Flower  Hospital 
a  year,  he  came,  in  1886,  to  Mamaroneck,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
■engaged  exclusively  and  continuously  in  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession. 
He  has  been  health  officer  for  seven  years;  is  a  member  of  the  county,  state 
and  national  medical  societies,  of  the  Hahnemannian  Association  and  the 
Hahnemannian  Society  of  New  York. 

The  Doctor  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Leila  J.  Foshay,  a  daughter 
of  John  F.  Foshay,  Esq.,  and  they  have  two  children — Marjorie  and  How- 
land, — the  latter  being  named  in  honor  of  his  father's  medical  preceptor. 

The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  Apawamis  Lodge,  No. 
800;  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Alert  Lodge,  No.  752;  of  Sheldrake  Coun- 
cil, No.  264,  Royal  Arcanum;  of  Hawthorne  Commandery  of  the  Golden 
Cross;  is  the  medical  examiner  for  the  Metropolitan  Mutual  Life  and  the 
Prudential  Life  Insurance  Companies,  and  for  the  Catholic  Benevolent  Legion. 
His  religious  views  may  be  known  from  the  fact  that  he  is  a  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  church. 

In  conclusion  we  may  say  a  few  words  with  reference  to  the  Doctor's 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  639 

genealogy.  The  Hall  family  can  trace  their  ancestry  back  to  the  year  912. 
Two  hundred  years  ago  the  name  was  spelled  Halle.  In  the  family  there 
have  been  many  attorneys  and  physicians.  William  Marshall  Hall,  the  father 
of  our  subject,  was  a  native  of  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts,  was  superin- 
tendent of  the  cordage  company  there  for  thirty  years,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
sixty-four  years.  Enlisting  in  the  war  for  the  Union,  he  joined  the  Sixth 
Massachusetts  Volunteer  Infantry;  but  when  his  regiment  had  reached  Balti- 
more on  its  way  to  the  front  the  war  closed.  Mr.  Hall  was  an  active  Repub- 
lican, and  a  zealous  and  intelligent  member  of  the  Congregational  church. 
He  married  Miss  Margaret  Thompson,  of  New  Bedford,  who  is  still  living, 
being  now  seventy-two  years  of  age.  She  also  is  a  sincere  and  consistent 
member  of  the  Congregational  church.  Her  father,  John  Thompson,  was 
also  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  of  an  old,  well  known  and  highly  respected 
family  of  the  Bay  state.  William  Hall,  grandfather  of  the  Doctor,  was  a 
native  of  Edinboro,  Scotland,  and  was  educated  at  the  noted  university  there, 
of  which  institution  he  was  secretary  for  several  years. 


FRED.   E.  TOMPKINS. 


This  highly  esteemed  citizen,  engaged  in  farming  and  dairying  near  White 
Plains,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Greenburg,  Westchester  county,  April  15, 
1864,  the  eldest  son  of  Sylvester  G.  and  Harriet  E.  Tompkins.  His  mother 
was  a  daughter  of  Andrew  Tompkins,  and  his  father  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Greenburg,  on  the  old  Tompkins  homestead,  in  December,  1837,  the  son  of 
Gilbert  Tompkins,  who  also  was  a  native  of  the  same  town.  The  paternal 
great-grandfather  of  our  subject  was  Thomas  Tompkins.  Sylvester  and 
Harriet  E.  Tompkins  were  the  parents  of  three  children:  Fred.  E. ,  our  sub- 
ject; Eva  E.,  who  became  the  wife  of  Joseph  H.  Lewis,  Jr.,  of  White 
Plains;   and  Chester  W. 

Mr.  Tompkins,  whose  name  heads  this  brief  sketch,  was  reared  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits  on  his  father's  farm  and  educated  at  the  district  school. 
He  was  about  thirty-three  years  of  age  when  his  father  died,  and  he  thereupon 
took  charge  of  the  place.  His  mother,  surviving,  is  a  resident  of  the  home- 
stead. The  forty-three  acres  of  which  it  consists  are  in  a  good  state  of  culti- 
vation and  furnished  with  good  buildings. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Tompkins  is  a  Republican.  He  has  served  as 
tax  collector  for  a  number  of  years,  faithful  to  his  trust  and  rendering  satis- 
faction to  the  authorities  for  the  manner  in  which  he  has  accomplished  his 
duties.  In  religion  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
■^  church. 

October    13,    1886,   he    was  united    in  matrimony  with  Miss  Myra   T. 


640  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

Shelley,  a  native  of  Greenburg  town  and  a  daughter  of  Clark  and  Elizabeth- 
(Sniffin)  Shelley,  of  Unionville,  in  the  town  of  Mount  Pleasant.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Tompkins  have  one  daughter,   named  Hazel  M. 


PETER  J.   MITCHELL. 


Closely  connected  with  the  business  interests  of  Yonkers,  New  York, 
and  ranking  as  one  of  its  leading  citizens,  we  find  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
Peter  J.  Mitchell. 

Mr.  Mitchell  is  a  native  of  Yonkers,  born  January  9,  1862,  and  is  a  son 
of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Quinn)  Mitchell.  He  received  his  educatioti  in  St. 
Mary's  parochial  school  and  in  the  public  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
years  left  school  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world.  He  was  first  employed 
as  clerk  in  a  paint  store,  where  he  remained  only  a  short  time,  after  which 
he  learned  the  trade  of  hatter  in  the  establishment  of  Baldwin  &  Flagg, 
Yonkers.  This  business  occupied  his  time  up  to  1877,  when  he  entered  the 
employ  of  his  brother,  Michael  F.  Mitchell,  in  the  hotel  of  which  he  is  at 
present  proprietor.  He  remained  with  his  brother  until  1886,  when  he 
opened  an  establishment  of  his  own  on  Ravine  avenue,  known  as  the  Glen- 
wood  House.  This  he  conducted  ■  for  three  years  and  a  half.  In  1890  he 
bought  of  his  brother  the  Warburton  Hotel,  which  he  has  since  successfully 
conducted.  Both  in  the  hotel  business  and  in  the  various  other  enterprises 
with  which  he  is  connected  he  has  met  with  marked  success.  Mr.  Mitchell 
is  a  director  of  the  Yonkers  Brewery;  e  member  of  the  executive  committee 
of  the  Warburton  Hall  Association;  vice-president  of  the  Yonkers  Bowling 
Association;  a  stockholder  in  the  banks  of  Yonkers,  as  well  as  the  Gas  Com- 
pany and  the  District  Telegraph  Messenger  Company;  member  of  the  Yon- 
kers and  Corinthian  Yacht  Clubs'  and  the  A.  B.  C.  Bowling  Club.  He  is 
also  prominently  identified  with  the  fire  department  of  Yonkers. 

In  June,  1883,  Mr.  Mitchell  became  a  member  of  Protection  Engine 
Company  No.  i;  in  August  of  that  year  was  made  its  treasurer,  and  in  1884 
its  foreman,  and  he  has  been  a  representative  of  this  company  for  twelve 
years.  He  was  elected  state  delegate  to  the  conventions  held  at  Lockport, 
New  York,  in  1886;  Schenectady,  in  1887;  and  Binghamton,  in  1898.  As  a 
delegate  to  Lockport,  in  1886,  he  took  up  the  fight  which  resulted  in  the 
election,  at  Binghamton,  in  1898,  of  the  city  of  Yonkers  as  the  state  con- 
vention city  for  1899.  Mr.  Mitchell  has  kept  up  a  ceaseless  fight  in  the  inter- 
est of  Yonkers,  and  it  is  due  to  his  tireless  efforts  that  this  town  will  the 
present  year  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  entertaining  the  state  convention.  From 
time  to  time  Mr.  Mitchell  has  served  on  various  important  committees.  He 
was  on  the  topic  committee  in  1897,  and  was  made  a  member  of  the  auditing. 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  641 

committee  in  1898-9.  He  was  president  of  the  finance  committee  until  suc- 
ceeded by  Mayor  Sutherland,  when  he  was  made  first  vice-president  of  the 
Firemen's  Convention  Committee,  which  position  he  is  filling  at  present.  He 
was  the  president  of  the  Yonkers  Athletic  Association  during  1895  and  1896. 
Mr.  Mitchell  is  a  member  of  St.  Mary's  Roman  Catholic  church.  He  is 
a  splendid  example  of  the  self-made  man,  and  stands  deservedly  high  in  both 
business  and  social  circles. 


JOSEPH  H.   HUFF. 


Joseph  H.  Huff,  the  genial  proprietor  of  the  Huff  Hotel  at  Pleasantville, 
New  York,  was  born  on  the  17th  of  October,  1854,  in  Hunterdon  county, 
near  Little  York,  New  Jersey,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Jane  (Halk)  Huff.  The 
father,  who  belonged  to  an  old  and  highly  respected  family  of  that  state,  was 
a  cabinet-maker  by  trade. 

During  his  boyhood  and  youth  Joseph  H.  Huff  pursued  his  studies  in  the 
common  schools  of  New  Jersey.  On  starting  out  in  life  for  himself  he  worked 
as  a  mechanic  on  public  works  in  New  York  for  a  while,  and  then  became 
interested  in  the  hotel  business.  It  was  in  1889  and  1890  that  his  present 
hotel  at  Pleasantville  was  erected,  it  being  a  fine  three-story  structure 
with  a  well  lighted  basement,  and  it  has  become  a  great  favorite  with  the 
traveling  public,  for  he  is  a  model  landlord,  jovial,  popular  and  obliging. 

On  the  20th  of  August,  1890,  Mr.  Huff  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Kate  Noyes,  daughter  of  George  Noyes,  and  to  them  has  been  born  one  son, 
William  H.  Mr.  Huff  uses  his  right  of  franchise  in  the  support  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  takes  an  active  and  commendable  interest  in  public  affairs. 
He  is  now  serving  as  town  commissioner  of  highways.  For  three  terms  he 
was  the  treasurer  of  the  board  of  highway  commissioners.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  fire  department,  of  which  he  was  the  organizer  and  its  first  chief. 
He  also  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


FRANKLIN  P.   PERKINS. 


The  manager  of  the  extensive  business  of  the  Hotchkiss  Beef  Company 
at  Port  Chester,  Mr.  Franklin  P.  Perkins,  is  a  capable  business  man  and  a 
representative  citizen  who  is  entitled  to  mention  as  such  in  this  volume.  He 
was  born  March  28,  1855,  at  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  where  he  grew  up  and 
obtained  his  education  in  the  public  schools.  At  the  age  of  nine  years  he  left 
home  to  live  with  an  aunt  on  a  farm,  and  there  he  learned  the  heavy  duties 
pertaining  to  agricultural  life,  and  continued  therein  until  nineteen  years  of 
age,  when  he  was  employed  in  a  butcher  shop  in  Litchfield  and  Naugatuck, 


41 


642  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

Connecticut,  and  he  continued  tlius  engaged  for  twelve  years.  Two  years  of 
this  time  he  also  ran  a  shop  for  himself.  Next,  for  a  time  he  was  employed 
in  a  wholesale  beef  house  for  Mr.  Hotchkiss  in  Yonkers,  and  finally  came  to 
Port  Chester,  where  for  a  year  he  conducted  business  on  his  own  account, 
and  then,  in  1894,  he  sold  his  shop  to  take  his  present  position,  where  his 
responsibilities  are  heavy,  as  the  house  is  a  large  one  and  doing  an  extensive 
business,  handling  about  two  car-loads  of  meat  each  week  and  furnishing  the 
neighboring  towns  with  choice  meats. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Perkins  is  a  Democrat,  but  he  prefers  to 
devote  his  energies  to  private  business  rather  than  take  any  part  in  the  per- 
sonalities of  politics. 

In  matrimony  he  was  united  with  Miss  Elsie  H.  Scott,  of  Goshen,  Con- 
.necticut,  and  they  have  two  daughters. 


PAULDING  AND  REQUA  HOUSES. 

There  are  several  old  houses  in  Tarrytown  that  have  a  history  going 
back  to  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  some  of  them  even  far  beyond  it.  The 
most  famous  of  these  probably  is  known  as  the  Paulding  house.  It  is  a 
frame  building,  situated  on  Water  street,  and  almost  within  a  stone's  throw 
of  the  cove,  which  there  sets  in  from  the  river.  It  is  not  more  than  three 
minutes  walk  from  the  Hudson  River  Railroad  depot.  The  track  of  the  road 
is  quite  near  it,  and  the  house  is  plainly  visible  from  the  car  windows,  but 
is  now  very  much  dilapidated, — in  fact,  in  a  half  tumble-down  condition, 
-with  the  floors  rotted  away,  the  rooms  damp  and  deserted,  the  green  moss 
-growing  on  the  roof,  which  consists  of  three  layers  of  shingles,  the  lower- 
most being  of  cedar,  the  one  put  on  upon  the  top  of  the  other,  as,  after 
long  intervals,  there  was  occasion  to  make  repairs. 

No  one  would  imagine  from  looking  at  the  house  and  its  surroundings 
now  that  it  had  ever  been  the  seat  of  elegant  culture  and  refinement,  where 
distinguished  men  and  lovely  women  met  and  enjoyed  the  pleasures  of  a 
brilliant  social  life.  Yet  here  it  was  that  James  Kirke  Paulding,  so  eminent 
in  the  ranks  of  early  American  authorship,  the  intimate  friend  and  literary 
collaborator  of  Washington  Irving,  and  secretary  of  the  navy  under  Presi- 
dent Van  Buren,  lived  from  the  close  of  the  Revolution  until  the  year  i8oo, 
when  he  removed  to  New  York  city.  And  from  this  house  it  was  that  Wash- 
ington Irving,  then  a  very  young  man,  and  a  guest  in  the  Paulding  family, 
went  for  half  a  day  of  boating  on  the  river,  and  rowed  down  to  Wolfert's 
Roost,  where,  going  ashore,  and  loitering  along  the  slopes  and  in  the  glen, 
the  tranquil  beauty  and  sweet  attractiveness  of  the  place  so  deeply  impressed 
him  that  he  then  first  conceived  the  idea,   which  he  long  afterward  carried 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  6^3 

out,  of  buying  it  as  a  home  for  himself.  Mr.  Irving  made  this  statement  in 
a  conversation  with  the  late  Mrs.  Benson  Ferris,  in  the  presence  of  her  son, 
Mr.  Benson  Ferris,  Jr.,  president  of  the  Westchester  County  Savings  Bank, 
who  distinctly  remembers  it,  and  communicated  the  fact  to  the  writer.  The 
garden  and  grounds  around  the  Paulding  house  are  said  to  have  been  always 
kept  in  the  best  of  tasteful  order,  and  the  place  altogether  to  have  presented 
every  feature  of  a  bright  and  beautiful  home.  But  it  has  had  its  day  and 
served  its  purpose,  and  all  tokens  now  indicate  that  decay  will  soon  lay  the 
old  mansion  in  the  dust. 

Just  north  of  it,  on  the  corner  of  the  street  leading  down  to  the  cove, 
is  the  old  house  owned  and  occupied  in  those  early  days  by  Judge  Isaac 
Requa,  long  since  passed  away.  That,  too,  was  a  place  of  home  comfort 
and  happiness,  almost  as  well  kept  and  as  attractive  as  the  Paulding  place 
adjoining.  But  that  also,  like  its  long-time  neighbor,  must  soon  yield  to  the 
inevitable  law. 

BENONI  PLATT. 

This  gentleman,  who  is  the  manager  of  the  search  department  of  the 
Westchester  county  branch  of  the  Lawyers'  Title  Insurance  Company,  with 
office  at  White  Plains,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Scarsdale,  this  county,  in 
August,  1857,  the  son  of  Lewis  C.  Piatt  and  Laura  (Popham)  Piatt,  of 
Scarsdale.     (See  sketch  of  Lewis  C.  Piatt.) 

Mr.  Piatt  was  educated  in  the  public  school,  graduating  at  the  White 
Plains  high  school,  and  commenced  his  business  career  as  an  assistant  clerk 
in  the  surrogate's  office,  under  Owen  T.  Coffen,  and  continued  there  for 
eight  years,  and  then  for  nine  years  was  deputy  county  clerk,  under  the 
Hon.  John  Digney.  In  January,  1896,  he  took  charge  of  the  search  depart- 
ment of  the  Westchester  county  branch  of  the  Lawyers'  Title  Insurance  Com- 
pany at  White  Plains,  which  position  he  is  now  filling,  with  satisfaction  to 
his  employers,  who  are  equally  interested  in  satisfying  the  public. 

He  is  a  member  of  Hebron  Lodge,  No.  229,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  and  is  unmarried. 


A  REVOLUTIONARY  REMINISCENCE. 

In  an  interview  with  the  Rev.  Alexander  Van  Wart,  in  his  home  at 
Pleasantville,  on  June  15,  1885,  he  gave  to  the  writer,  among  other  recitals, 
the  following: 

His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Rachel  Storms,  and  her  house  was  just 
down  the  hill  toward  the  west  of  the  "Four  Corners,"  on  the  Tarrytown 
road.      His  maternal  uncle,  Nicholas  Storms,  lived  there  at  the  same  time. 


644  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

Looking  up  toward  the  east  one  day  he  saw  a  military  company  manoeuver- 
ing  at  the  Four  Corners,  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  near  Young's  house,  and, 
supposing  them  to  be  Americans,  he  mounted  his  horse,  and  rode  up  to  learn 
the  news.  He  did  not  discover  until  he  was  right  in  front  of  them  that  they 
were  British  troops  out  on  a  scouting  and  foraging  expedition.  It  was  too 
late  to  retreat,  for  they  saw  him,  and  so,  putting  on  a  bold  face,  he  rode  up 
and  inquired  of  them  what  was  the  news.  They  ordered  him  to  dismount, 
took  him  prisoner  and  kept  his  horse.  His  sister,  Rachel  Storms,  afterward 
the  wife  of  Isaac  Van  Wart,  one  of  the  captors  of  Andre,  was  sent  to  beg  for 
her  brother's  release.  She  did  so,  and  to  such  good  purpose  that  one  of 
the  soldiers  said  to  the  others,  "Oh,  she  must  be  his  sweetheart.  Let's  give 
him  up."  And  they  did.  She  was  sent  back  a  second  time,  to  beg  for  a 
cow  they  had  taken,  and  then,  too,  she  gained  her  request. 

Mr.  Van  Wart,  after  speaking  of  the  fact  that  his  father  had  sold  the 
farm  given  to  him  by  congress,  in  Putnam  county,  and  had  purchased  the 
Young  place,  at  the  Four  Corners,  described  the  somewhat  elevated  sandy 
field  just  north  of  the  corners,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Unionville  road,  as 
the  place  where  some  thirteen  American  and  three  British  soldiers,  who  fell 
in  the  fight  at  Young's  house,  were  buried,  and,  he  added,  "I  have  plowed 
many  a  furrow  over  the  graves  of  those  who  were  there  killed." 


ISAAC  R.   TRIPP. 


Mr.  Tripp,  who  is  the  efficient  justice  of  the  peace  of  North  Castle  town- 
ship and  one  of  the  most  prosperous  agriculturists  of  the  locality,  was  born 
April  ir,  1856,  on  the  farm  which  he  still  occupies.  This  old  homestead 
has  been  in  the  possession  of  the  family  since  1825,  when  it  was  purchased  by 
his  grandfather,  Isaac  Tripp.  He  was  born  in  1792,  about  one  mile  from 
that  place,  in  the  same  township,  and  was  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Abigail 
(Birdsall)  Tripp.  The  birth  of  Benjamin  Tripp  also  occurred  upon  that 
farm,  where  his  father,  Anthony  Tripp,  had  located  when  this  section  was 
almost  an  unbroken  wilderness.  The  last  named  was  a  native  of  Wales, 
and  on  coming  to  this  country  he  first  located  in  Rhode  Island,  and 
throughout  life  he  engaged  in  farming.  His  son  Benjamin  was  likewise  a 
farmer  and  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  He  died  at  the  age 
of  sixty,  but  his  wife  had  reached  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-eight  years  at 
the  time  of  her  death.  Their  son  Isaac,  our  subject's  grandfather,  was  both 
a  farmer  and  mechanic.  He  erected  a  sawmill,  which  he  successfully  oper- 
ated, and  also  engaged  in  coopering  and  chair-making,  being  quite  well-to- 
do  at  the  time  of  his  death,  though  he  started  out  in  life  for  himself  empty- 
handed.      He  never  aspired  to  official  honors,  but  was  reserved  in  manner 


y^L^c^^^^ 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  645 

and  domestic  in  taste.  He  departed  this  life  at  the  age  of  ninety-one,  and 
his  wife  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine.  In  their  family  were  two  children:  John, 
the  father  of  our  subject;  and  Mary,  now  the  widow  of  Walter  Sutton  and  a 
resident  of  Bedford  Station. 

John  Tripp  has  throughout  life  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising, 
and  has  also  operated  the  old  sawmill  erected  by  his  father.  He  is  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  best  and  most  reliable  citizens  of  his  community,  his 
course  having  ever  been  such  as  to  command  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
all  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact.  In  politics  he  was  first  a  Whig  and 
is  now  a  Republican.  He  married  Miss  Cornelia  Reynolds,  who  died  in 
i860,  leaving  two  children,  our  subject  being  the  older.  Stephen  R.,  born 
March  29,  1858,  is  now  a  resident  of  San  Francisco,  California,  and  is  en- 
gaged in  business  in  connection  with  the  electric  railroad  works.  The  father 
is  still  living,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 

Isaac  R.  Tripp  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  township  and  has 
always  followed  agricultural  pursuits,  owning  and  operating  one  of  the  best 
farms  in  his  part  of  the  county.  It  comprises  one  hundred  and  ten  acres, 
which  he  has  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  which  is  improved  with 
excellent  buildings.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1878,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Josephine  Hobby,  who  was  born  in  Banksville,  North  Castle 
township,  this  county,  and  is  a  daughter  of  George  and  Deborah  A.  (Mead) 
Hobby.  To  them  have  been  born  four  children,  namely:  John  H.,  Cor- 
nelia D.,  Alice  and  Annie.  The  parents  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  are  numbered  among  the  county's  most  worthy  and 
respected  citizens.  For  seven  years  Mr.  Tripp  has  most  acceptably  served 
as  justice  of  the  peace,  and  socially  he  is  identified  with  the  Junior  Order  of 
American  Mechanics. 

HENRY  ROSSITER  WORTHINGTON. 

The  Worthington  Memorial  chapel,  a  fine  stone  building,  was  erected  in 
1883,  as  a  memorial  to  the  late  Henry  Rossiter  Worthington,  by  his  widowed 
wife.  It  is  built  on  a  portion  of  the  somewhat  extensive  landed  property 
which  Mr.  Worthington  owned  in  the  Nepperhan  valley  at  the  time  of  his 
decease.  His  mortal  remains  lie  in  a  vault  under  the  chancel.  It  is  a  taste- 
ful structure,  and  is  said  to  have  cost  altogether  about  twenty  thousand 
dollars.  The  building  itself  and  the  grounds  adjoining,  together  with  the 
inclosure,  are  kept  in  excellent  order,  which  must  involve,  in  addition,  a  con- 
siderable expense. 

The  following  tribute  to  the  memory  of  Mr.  Worthington  is  from  the 
transactions  of  the  American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers  for  the  year 
1 88 1,  he  having  been  vice-president  of  the  organization: 


646  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

The  wide  and  profound  expressions  of  regret  at  the  sudden  decease  of  Mr.  Worthington 
among  his  professional  acquaintances  and  in  the  great  circles  of  his  friends  were  first,  and 
largely,  an  expression  of  personal  bereavement.  He  had  earned  a  high  place  as  an  ingenious 
inventor  and  a  successful  engineer,  and  his  work  will  leave  an  indelible  impression  upon  pro- 
fessional practice,  but  the  influence  and  the  traditions  of  him  as  a  man  and  a  friend  will  outlive 
generations  of  engineers. 

The  foundation  of  this  mingled  esteem  and  affection  was  his  intense  and  abiding  love  of 
the  truth.  The  foundation  was  built  upon  by  scientific  methods,  and  the  structure  was  adorned 
by  personal  graces  and  accomplishments.  The  love  of  truth  that  came  from  a  high-minded 
ancestry  was  nurtured  by  his  professional  pursuits,  for  his  profession,  unlike  some  other  pro- 
fessions— and  this  is  their  misfortune,  not  their  fault — has  an  inevitable  criterion,  and  that  is 
the  truth.  This  sentiment — for  it  grew  in  him  from  a  conviction  to  a  sentiment — not  only  con- 
trolled his  professional  and  private  conduct,  but  it  stimulated  in  him  an  honest  skepticism 
regarding  those  beliefs  in  general  which  have  come  down  to  us  with  no  higher  authority  than 
that  they  are  an  inheritance.  He  was  a  willing  and  valiant  assailant  of  "humbug"  in  every 
form,  and,  nobler  than  this,  he  was  the  patient  iconoclast  who  dispelled  the  phantoms  in  the 
mind  of  many  an  inventor,  and  who  saved  many  a  plodding  experimenter — not  in  applied 
science  only — from  impending  disaster.  He  was  also  endowed  with  a  grand  humanity  which 
practice  perfected.  Nor  were  his  friends,  so  called,  the  sole  beneficiaries;  only  a  long  and  inti- 
mate fellowship  with  him  has  discovered  many  of  his  private  charities,  and  half  of  them  will 
probably  never  be  known. 

These  attributes  found  apt  and  eloquent  expression  in  his  scholarly  culture  and  brilliancy, 
in  his  spontaneous  and  perennial  wit.  As  the  patient,  but  not  generally  impassioned,  advocate 
of  truth,  or  as  the  exposer  of  a  fallacy  or  an  imposture  by  analysis,  by  analogy,  by  ridicule,  he 
had  few  equals.  And,  to  crown  all,  was  his  overflowing  good-fellowship, — with  all  his  serious 
thoughts  and  moods,  his  love  of  humor  and  mirth,  of  intimate  talks  with  groups  of  friends, 
rambling  from  grave  to  gay,  when  all  his  truth  and  his  kind  and,  withal,  fantastic  inspirations 
would  grow  into  bloom.  It  was  an  education  to  hear  him  talk  when  the  subject  was  large 
enough  to  move  him. 

The  time  is  not  ripe  to  analyze  Mr.  Worthington's  contributions  to  the  engineering 
specialty,  in  which  he  did  not  claim,  but  in  which  he  was  assigned,  by  general  consent,  the 
highest  place.  Mr.  Worthington  was  undoubtedly  the  first  proposer  and  constructor  of  the 
direct  steam  pump.  The  duplex  system  in  pumping-engines — one  engine  actuating  the  steam 
valves  of  the  other,  causing  a  pause  of  the  pistons  at  the  end  of  the  stroke,  so  that  the  water 
valves  can  seat  themselves  quietly,  and  preserve  a  uniform  water  pressure,  this  being  a  vast 
improvement  on  the  Cornish  engine— is  generally  admitted  to  be  one  of  the  most  ingenious  and 
effective,  and  certainly  one  of  the  most  largely  applied,  advances  in  modern  engineering. 

Mr.  Worthington  was  chiefly  known  as  a  hydraulic  engineer,  but  apart  from  this  specialty, 
his  experimental  and  practical  contributions  to  other  departments  of  engineering,  such  as  canal 
steam  navigation,  compound  engines,  instruments  of  precision  and  machinery  tools,  would 
entitle  him  to  a  high  position  in  the  profession. 

Mr.  Worthington  was  born  December  17,  1817,  and  died  December  17,  1880.  His  ances- 
tors in  America  were  sprung  from  Sir  Nicholas  Worthington,  of  Worthington,  England,  who 
died  at  Naseby,  for  King  Charles,  and  they  came  to  America  in  1649. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  trace  the  history  of  this  family,  especially  the  grand  old  father, 
Asa  Worthington.  A  minute  review  of  the  life  of  Henry  Rossiter  Worthington,  with  its  multi- 
tudinous benefactions  of  invention,  of  counsel,  of  entertainment,  would  also  be  pleasing  and 
instructive,  but  this  is  not  the  time  nor  the  place. 

His  mortal  remains  lie  on  the  edge  of  the  old  rocks  which  geologists  call  the  primal  con- 
tinent, and  every  following  cycle  furnishes  some  stone  to  lay  on  his  grave.  So  his  immortal 
remains  illustrate  every  phase  of  progress,  from  silurian  instinct— to  live— to  the  last  formula 
of  civilization — to  let  live. 

Mr.  Worthington  was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York,  but  his  parents  soon  after  removed  to 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  647 

Brooklyn,  where  they  continued  to  reside  for  many  years.  His  father,  Asa  Worthington,  at  one 
period  held  the  position  of  consul  at  Lima,  South  America,  which  appointment  he  retained  for 
a  number  of  years.  He  was,  at  the  time,  connected  with  the  business  firm  of  Wetmore,  Chaun- 
cey,  Cryder  &  Company,  who  had  an  establishment  house  in  Lima. 

Mr.  Worthington's  wife  was  Miss  Newton,  daughter  of  the  late  Commodore  John  T.  New- 
ton, United  States  Navy.  She,  with  four  children,  survived  him,— Amelia  Stuart  (wife  of  T. 
Whiteside  Rae,  civil  engineer,  formerly  connected  with  the  United  States  Navy);  Henry  Fraser; 
Sarah  Newton  (wife  of  William  Lanman  Bull,  a  banker  in  Wall  street),  and  Charles  Campbell 
(who  succeeded  his  father  as  an  hydraulic  engineer  in  the  business  which  he  founded). 

The  mortal  remains  of  Mr.  Worthington  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  Memorial  chapel  built  by 
his  widow,  at  Nepperhan  valley,  near  Irvington. 


ISAAC  MONMOUTH   HUNT. 

A  prominent  agriculturist  of  White  Plains,  Westchester  county,  New 
York,  Isaac  M.  Hunt  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Harriet  (Guion)  Hunt,  and 
was  born  in  New  York  city,  May  27,  1837.  John  Hunt,  the  great-great- 
grandfather of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Shropshire,  England,  in  1707,  and  in 
1725,  when  but  eighteen  years  old,  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Hacken- 
sack,  New  Jersey,  and  from  there  moved  to  the  town  of  Greenburg,  in 
Westchester  county,  New  York,  which  at  that  time  was  a  part  of  Philips 
Manor.  He  married  Aletha  Hunt,  who  was  born  in  171 1.  They  were  the 
parents  of  five  daughters  and  four  sons.  The  great-grandfather,  Thomas 
Hunt,  married  a  lady  whose  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Sloate.  Isaac  Hunt, 
the  grandfather,  was  born  in  Putnam  county,  New  York,  in  1771,  and  lived 
in  the  town  of  Greenburg.  He  married  Susanna  Purdy,  of  White  Plains, 
New  York,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Purdy,  of  that  place. 

Thomas  Hunt,  the  father,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Greenburg  in  1798, 
and  was  for  many  years  a  merchant  in  the  city  of  New  York,  although  he 
made  his  home  in  his  native  township  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1 882. 
He  was  a  devoted  member  of  the  Baptist  church  and  a  faithful  worker  in  that 
body.  He  was  united  in  matrimony  to  Miss  Harriet  Guion,  a  daughter  of 
Monmouth  and  Anna  (Lyons)  Guion.  The  family  trace  their  ancestry  back  to 
the  time  of  the  persecution  of  the  Christians  in  1682,  when  so  many  of  the 
French  Huguenots  came  to  this  country  to  escape  this  persecution.  Among 
the  number  was  the  founder  of  the  Guion  family  in  America.  Harriet 
Guion  Hunt  was  born  in  New  York  in  1798,  and  died  in  1883,  at  a  good  old 
age.  She  left  the  following  children:  Susan  A.,  wife  of  James  Elliott; 
Benjamin  G.,  who  died  in  1887;  Thomas  P.;  Harriet  E.,  spinster;  and 
Isaac  M.,  our  subject. 

Isaac  M.  Hunt  received  his  primary  education  in  the  district  schools, 
and  then  attended  a  select  school  taught  by  an  Episcopalian  clergyman,  the 
Rev.  Augustus  Striker.      He  then  returned  to  the  farm,  and,  having  a  natural 


e48  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

as  well  as  acquired  aptitude  for  agriculture,  he  still  resides  there  and  has 
acquired  a  considerable  property.  His  two  sisters  make  their  home  with 
him  on  the  old  homestead,  among  lifelong  friends.  He  is  a  pronounced 
Democrat  and  has  served  as  assessor  of  the  town  of  Greenburg  for  fifteen 
years.  He  was  a  school  trustee  for  one  term.  He  is  kindly  by  nature, 
treasures  few  resentments,  and  is  ever  ready  to  do  a  favor,  while  in  every 
transaction  he  is  honest,  upright,  and  honorable  to  a  fault.  He  is  a  man  of 
commanding  presence  and  amiable  and  engaging  manners,  and  his  extreme 
popularity  in  the  community  is  but  a  natural  sequence. 


HON.  EDWIN  W.  FISKE. 


The  name  of  this  gentleman  is  one  which  has  figured  conspicuously  on 
the  pages  of  Mount  Vernon's  history  during  the  last  ten  years.  By  reason  of 
his  strong  mentality,  engaging  personality  and  recognized  ability,  he  has 
become  a  leader  in  public  thought  and  action,  and  is  now  at  the  head  of  the 
municipal  government,  administering  the  affairs  of  the  city  with  marked 
loyalty  to  its  best  interests. 

Mr.  Fiske  was  born  in  Shamokin,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  17th  of  July, 
1 86 1,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Amanda  (Stoddard)  Fiske.  The  father 
was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  descending  from  good,  old  Puritan  ancestry.  His 
father  was  Samuel  Fiske,  also  a  native  of  the  Bay  state,  the  original  Ameri- 
can home  of  the  Pilgrims.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania. In  the  public  schools  of  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  Edwin  W. 
Fiske  acquired  his  education,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  entered  upon  his 
business  career,  by  beginning  an  apprenticeship  to  learn  the  process  of  man- 
ufacturing Bessemer  steel  in  the  work  of  the  Pennsylvania  Steel  Company, 
at  Steelton,  Pennsylvania.  From  that  place  he  removed  to  New  York  city, 
where  for  more  than  fifteen  years  he  has  now  successfully  engaged  in  busi- 
ness as  a  dealer  in  steam  and  hot-water  heaters,  supplying  these  to  large 
buildings  on  contract.  He  is  energetic,  enterprising  and  capable,  and  his 
sagacity  and  well  managed  interests  have  brought  to  him  a  very  handsome 
competence. 

Mr.  Fiske  makes  his  home  in  Mount  Vernon,  where  he  located  about 
1885,  and  since  that  time  he  has  been  an  important  factor  in  the  public  inter- 
ests of  the  town.  In  1889  and  1890  he  served  the  old  second  ward  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  village  trustees,  and  in  1893  he  was  elected  alderman 
from  the  present  second  ward  against  a  strong  competitor.  While  serving 
in  that  capacity  he  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  streets  and  sidewalks, 
and  in  that  capacity  did  much  toward  improving  the  streets  and  avenues.  In 
1894  he  was  the  unanimous  choice  of  the  Democratic  party  for  the  office  of 


^i^^ii^^:?^^     ^^ 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  649 

mayor,  and  is  now  at  the  head  of  the  city  government.  His  administration 
is  both  progressive  and  practical,  and  while  he  favors  every  movement  tend- 
ing toward  the  welfare  and  improvement  of  the  city,  at  the  same  time  he 
brings  to  bear  upon  all  new  measures  introduced  the  calm,  unbiased  judg- 
ment of  a  reliable  and  sagacious  business  man.  He  is  unfaltering  in  support 
of  the  principles  of  his  party,  and  his  information  concerning  the  political 
issues  of  the  day  is  comprehensive  and  accurate.  In  other  ways  Mr.  Fiske 
has  also  been  connected  with  the  public  affairs  at  Mount  Vernon.  Soon 
after  his  arrival  here  he  became  connected  with  Steamer  Company  No.  3,  of 
the  city  fire  department,  and  soon  was  made  its  foreman.  That  office  he 
filled  for  three  years  with  credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  all,  when  he 
was  elected  chief  of  the  fire  department.  For  four  years  he  filled  the  latter 
office  and  did  much  toward  securing  better  equipment,  better  discipline  and 
better  service  in  every  way.  He  is  also  interested  in  social  as  well  as  polit- 
ical matters,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Inter- 
national Association  of  Fire  Engineers  of  the  World.  He  has  been  president 
and  treasurer  of  the  Firemen's  Benevolent  Association  of  this  city;  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Hiawatha  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Mount  Vernon  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ; 
Bethlehem  Commandery,  K.  T. ;  Mecca  Shrine,  of  New  York  city;  Lodge  No. 
I,  B.  P.  O.  E. ,  of  New  York  city;  Sons  of  the  Revolution  of  New  York  State, 
and  Golden  Rod  Council,  Royal  Arcanum. 

Mr.  Fiske  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Anna  E.  Smith,  daughter  of 
the  late  Henry  C.  Smith,  the  first  president  of  the  People's  Bank,  of  Mount 
Vernon,  and  a  prominent  citizen.  They  now  have  three  children,  two  sons 
and  a  daughter.  Their  position  in  the  highest  society  is  assured,  and  they 
enjoy  the  hospitality  of  the  best  homes  in  Mount  Vernon.  Mr.  Fiske  is  a 
man  whose  business  career  conforms  to  the  strictest  ethics  of  commercial 
life;  whose  public  career  has  been  marked  by  the  most  unquestioned  fidelity 
to  duty,  and  whose  private  life  commands  the  respect  of  all,  while  his  cordial, 
genial  manner  renders  him  a  pleasant  companion  and  has  made  him  very 
popular  among  all  classes. 


S.   R.   SHEAR. 


S.  R.  Shear  is  a  son  of  Clark  A.  and  Lucretia  Shear.  He  was  born  in 
Orwell,  New  York,  and  lived  there  until  five  years  of  age.  He  afterward 
lived  with  his  parents  in  Boylston  and  Richland,  Oswego  county,  and  West 
Camden,  Oneida  county.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  was  taken  by  his 
uncle,  Wallace  E.  Shear,  of  Stittsville,  Oneida  county,  and  lived  with  him 
for  several  years,  in  that  time  receiving  an  academic  education  at  the  Hol- 
land Patent  Union  School,  after  which  he  returned  to  Oswego  county  and 


650  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

taught  school  two  winters  at  Ricard.  He  completed  his  education  at  the 
Oswego  Normal  School,  and  then  became  principal  of  the  Orwell  village 
school,  and  later  principal  of  school  No.  8,  Mexico  village.  In  1890  he  be- 
came principal  of  the  Pulaski  graded  schools,  holding  that  position  for  two 
years.  In  September,  1892,  when  the  Pulaski  Academy  and  graded  schools 
were  consolidated,  he  assumed  control  of  the  entire  system.  Under  his  man- 
agement the  enrollment  in  the  academic  department  increased  from  thirty 
to  one  hundred  and  fifty,  and  the  teaching  force  from  seven  to  twelve.  In 
1897  he  resigned  his  position  as  principal  of  the  Pulaski  Union  School  and 
Academy,  to  accept  the  superintendency  of  the  White  Plains  pubhc  schools, 
a  position  which  he  now  holds. 

He  was  married  in  1889,  to  Miss  Nettie  Reynolds,  of  Orwell,  and  they 
have  one  daughter.  Rose  Elizabeth,  born  June  27,  1891.  Mr.  Shear  is  a 
Royal  Arch  Mason,  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
an  active  member  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans,  having  been  captain  of  A.  S. 
Warren  Camp,  No.   105,  for  two  years. 


SOLOMON   MEAD. 


The  Mead  family  went  originally  from  Somersetshire,  or  Devonshire, 
into  county  Essex,  England,  during  the  reign  of  King  Henry  VI  (A.  D. 
1422),  and  first  settled  at  Elmdon.  There  seems  to  have  been  eight  distinct 
families  of  the  name  in  England,  known  by  their  respective  coats-of-arms, 
four  having  the  pelican  and  four  the  trefoil  as  their  heraldic  design.  A  num- 
ber of  distinguished  individuals  were  numbered  among  these  English  fami- 
lies; among  others,  Rev.  Matthew  Mead,  a  celebrated  non-conformist  divine 
in  the  reign  of  Charles  I,  and  his  son.  Dr.  Richard,  who  was  appointed  physi- . 
cian  in  ordinary  to  King  George  II,  and  who  first  practiced  inoculation  in 
England.  The  name  is  spelled  both  with  and  without  the  final  "e. "  The 
Earl  of  Clan- William  line  always  used  the  "e. "  That  family  is  of  Irish 
extraction,  and  is  the  one  from  which  the  Meades  of  Virginia  are  derived. 
In  England  the  spelling  was  variable. 

The  family  in  this  country,  at  least  that  portion  which  settled  in  Fair- 
field county,  Connecticut,  preserved  the  tradition  that  two  brothers  came 
over  from  England,  and  that  one  stopped  at  the  eastward,  while  the  other 
came  to  "  Horse-neck  "  (Greenwich),  Connecticut.  The  tradition  is  possibly 
correct,  as  a  Gabriel  Mead  and  David  Mead  settled  in  Lexington,  Massachu- 
setts. Gabriel  was  born  in  1587  and  died  in  1666,  aged  seventy-nine.  A 
son,  Israel,  was  born  in  1639,  and  there  were  several  daughters.  David  was 
possibly  also  a  son  of  Gabriel,  though  he  does  not  seem  to  be  mentioned  in 
the  will.     The  first  record  of  any  Mead  in  Fairfield  county,  Connecticut,  is 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  651 

the  following  in  Stamford  town  records:  "  December  7,  1641,  William  Mayd 
received  from  the  town  of  Stamford  a  house,  lot  and  five  acres  of  land." 
The  date,  1641,  agrees  with  the  Lexington  dates  and  seems  to  bear  out 
the  tradition  of  the  family  as  mentioned.  This  William  is  the  ancestor  of 
the  Fairfield  county  Meads.  We  have  record  of  three  children,  though  there 
were  probably  four.  A  son  who  died  about  1657  is  noted  in  Huntington's 
History  of  Stamford. 

The  three  children  of  William  of  whom  we  have  record  are  Joseph,  born 
1630,  died  1690;  Martha,  married  John  Richardson,  of  Stamford;  and  John, 
the  ancestor  of  the  Greenwich  Meads.  Both  Joseph  and  John  were  settled 
for  a  time  at  Hempstead,  Long  Island,  but  they  afterward  removed  to  Fair- 
field county  and  located  there.  John  purchased  land  of  Richard  Crab,  and 
the  deed  is  dated  October  26,  1660.  The  descendants  of  William  are  prac- 
tically innumerable. 

The  Westchester  county  branch  was  established  in  the  town  of  Lewis- 
boro  (then  South  Salem),  about  the  year  1776,  by  Colonel  Enoch  Mead,  a 
brother  of  Major-General  Ebenezer  Mead,  of  Greenwich,  Connecticut. 
Colonel  Mead  married,  at  the  age  of  twenty.  Miss  Jemima  Mead,  daughter  of 
Caleb  Mead,  of  Greenwich,  who  was  in  her  twentieth  year.  He  and  his 
young  bride  made  a  journey  of  exploration  up  into  Massachusetts  on  horse- 
back, but  returned  and  settled  on  a  ridge  traversed  by  the  New  York  and 
Albany  post-road,  about  half  a  mile  south  of  Lake  Waccabuc.  Here  he 
built  a  log  house,  in  which  he  was  still  living  when  the  war  of  the  Revolution 
broke  out,  and  in  which  was  born  his  oldest  son.  Colonel  Solomon  Mead, 
but  from  which  he  soon  removed  to  the  house,  still  standing,  which  is  owned 
and  occupied  by  his  descendants.  Colonel  Enoch  Mead  was  a  man  of  great 
energy  and  ability,  and  his  wife,  who  long  survived  him,  was  a  woman  of 
heroic  resolution  and  indomitable  courage.  Many  traditions  are  preserved 
in  the  family  of  their  patriotic  and  self-sacrificing  devotion  to  the  national 
cause  and  of  the  risks  they  ran, — of  the  swift  horse  which  had  to  be  kept  in 
the  cellar;  of  the  repulse  of  a  band  of  marauding  cowboys  by  the  youthful 
matron  alone,  except  for  an  infant  child  and  a  negro  slave  boy;  and  of  the 
flight  of  the  little  household  into  the  woods  at  the  rumored  approach  of  the 
enemy.  Colonel  Enoch  Mead  served  at  one  time  on  the  staff  of  his  brother, 
the  general,  but  managed,  while  the  war  was  still  in  progress,  to  get  his  new 
house  built  for  his  young  wife.  Here  their  family  of  nine  children  were 
born,  six  of  them  living  to  a  good  old  age,  and  the  other  three  dying  in  child- 
hood and  early  youth.  Here  the  oldest  son.  Colonel  Solomon,  died  in  1870, 
at  the  great  age  of  ninety-two  years.      The  place  is  now  known  as  Elmdon. 

Colonel  Solomon  was,  like  his  father,  a  man  of  uncommon  ability,  and 
through  his  long  life  his  services  were  in  constant  demand  as  a  friendly  ad- 


•652  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

viser  and  arbitrator.  He  also  married  very  young,  wedding,  at  the  age  of 
twenty,  Miss  Eunice  Gilbert,  aged  nineteen.  The  oldest  son  of  this  youth- 
ful couple,  Jacob  Gilbert  Mead,  died  at  his  place,  a  few  hundred  yards  to  the 
northward,  in  1884,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-four.  Colonel  Solomon, 
as  were  his  parents  and  a  number  of  his  children,  was  buried  in  the  family 
burying-ground,  about  one-quarter  of  a  mile  south  of  his  former  residence. 

The  eastern  boundary  of  the  farm  was  formerly  that  of  Cortlandt  Manor, 
— the  so-called  twenty  mile  line,  which  divided  it  from  Connecticut, — and 
the  rude  monument  erected  by  the  commissioners  in  1734,  to  mark  an  angle 
of  the  line,  is  still  standing  in  the  stone  wall  of  which  it  forms  a  part. 

The  second  son,  Alfred  (or  as  he  always,  for  some  unaccountable  reason, 
spelled  it,  Alphred),  was  established  a  little  way  down  the  road,  and  before 
many  years  eight  comfortable  houses  in  succession,  on  as  many  flourishing 
farms,  were  occupied  by  members  of  the  family,  all  bearing  the  family  name, 
so  that  the  road  became  known  as  Mead  street.  The  first  minister  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  in  South  Salem  was  Parson  Solomon  Mead,  who  was  an 
uncle  of  Colonel  Enoch  Mead.  He  was  settled  May  19,  1752,  and  remained 
in  charge  until  shortly  before  his  death,  in  1812,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six.  He 
was  very  eccentric  and  grew  more  so  as  age  increased  upon  him.  Many 
amusing  stories  have  been  told  of  his  peculiarities.  He  lies  buried  in  the 
cemetery  at  South  Salem,  and  a  neat  tombstone  marks  his  resting  place. 


MILTON  C.  PALMER. 


An  attorney  at  law  of  Sing  Sing,  and  now  serving  as  police  justice  of 
the  village,  Mr.  Palmer  is  well  known  as  a  successful  educator  through 
eleven  years  of  faithful  and  efficient  service.  Although  he  has  recently 
retired  from  teaching,  his  work  will  not  readily  be  forgotten  by  the  many  who 
■have  been  helped  by  him  along  the  steep,  and  sometimes  weary,  path  of 
knowledge. 

Mr.  Palmer  was  bcrn  in  Sing  Sing,  April  29,  1862,  and  is  a  son  of  Rich- 
ard and  Charlotte  (Lawrence)  Palmer.  The  mother  is  now  deceased,  but 
the  father  is  still  living,  and  makes  his  home  in  Sing  Sing.  Prior  to  the  war 
of  the  Rebellion  he  was  engaged  in  business  in  New  York  city,  but  later  gave 
his  attention  to  farming,  and  is  now  living  retired.  The  family  is  of  English 
origin,  and  was  founded  in  this  country,  in  1638,  by  three  brothers,  James, 
William  and  John,  who  came  from  England  and  located  near  Stonington, 
Connecticut.  In  1695  William  removed  to  Westchester  county,  New  York, 
and  took  up  his  residence  near  New  Rochelle.  It  is  from  him  that  our  sub- 
ject is  descended.  The  next  in  direct  line  to  our  subject  was  Henry  Palmer, 
a  farmer,  who  was  the  father  of  Richard  Palmer,  a  man  of  prominence,  and 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  65a; 

of  considerable  wealth,  for  those  days.  He  held  a  number  of  town  offices. 
The  latter's  son,  Richard  R.  Palmer,  was  the  grandfather  of  our  subject. 
He  was  one  of  the  leading  and  influential  citizens  of  Sing  Sing,  held  many 
local  offices  of  honor  and  trust,  was  a  man  of  upright,  Christian  character, 
and  held  conspicuous  place  in  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances. 

Milton  C.  Palmer  is  the  third  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren. The  family  is  identified  with  the  First  Baptist  church,  and  is  quite 
prominent. 

Mr.  Palmer,  of  this  review,  was  principally  reared  in  this  state,  but 
spent  one  year,  from  1872  to  1873,  in  Maine.  He  attended  the  public- 
schools  of  Sing  Sing,  and  graduated,  in  1877,  at  the  head  of  his  class.  Thus 
prepared  for  college,  he  entered  Cornell  University  in  the  fall  of  1877,  and 
graduated  from  that  noted  institution,  in  1881,  with  the  degree  of  B.  S., 
being  the  youngest  in  his  class.  He  at  once  commenced  teaching  school,, 
and  in  1884,  after  a  successful  examination  in  New  York,  was  granted  a 
state  teacher's  life  certificate.  He  successfully  taught  in  the  public  schools 
of  Westchester  county  until  1889,  when  he  established,  at  Sing  Sing,  what 
was  knowii  as  Palmer's  Collegiate  and  Business  School.  In  the  fall  of  1892 
he  entered  the  Columbia  Law  School,  and  was  graduated  therefrom  with  the 
degree  of  LI^.  B.,  in  1895,  but  before  his  graduation  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  on  May  15,  1894.  He  has  since  been  successfully  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  the  law  at  Sing  Sing,  and  on  the  19th  of  March,  1896,  was  elected 
police  justice,  which  office  he  is  now  filling  in  a  most  creditable  manner. 

On  the  23d  of  December,  1891,  Mr.  Palmer  married  Miss  Eliza  D.  Vail, 
a  daughter  of  William  and  Phcebe  B.  (Palmer)  Vail,  in  whose  family  were- 
two  children,  the  younger  being  Indiana,  now  the  wife  of  T.  H.  Calam,  of 
Sing  Sing.  They  belong  to  one  of  the  oldest,  most  highly  respected  and 
prominent  families  of  Westchester  county.  The  father,  who  is  now  deceased,, 
was  a  worthy  representative  of  the  Vail  family,  which  was  founded  in  this 
county  about  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century  by  Samuel  VaiL  His 
ancestors  were  from  England  and  the  name  was  formerly  spelled  Veale  and 
Vaile.  Thomas,  the  son  of  Samuel,  is  considered  the  head  of  the  family  in 
Westchester  county.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Friends  church  and  was  one 
of  a  family  of  ten  children,  one  of  whom  was  John  Vail,  the  father  of  Thomas, 
who  had  a  family  of  four  children:  John,  William,  Elizabeth  and  Ann.  The 
second  son,  William,  is  the  father  of  Mrs.  Palmer. 

Politically  Mr.  Palmer  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  as  acting  chairman  of  the  Republican  town  committee  for  two  years  he 
rendered  it  effective  service.  Socially  he  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Sing 
Sing  Yacht  Club,  the  Point  Senasqua  Rod  &  Reel  Club,  the  Westchester 
County  Bar  Association,  and  the  Cornell  Club,  of  New  York  city,  while  relig- 


^54  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

iously  he  is  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  Baptist  church  of  Sing  Sing, 
takes  an  active  part  in  all  church  and  Sunday-school  work,  and  for  two  years 
was  president  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association. 


WILLIAM  PATERSON  VAN  RENSSELAER. 

Mr.  Van  Rensselaer  was  the  second  son  of  the  patroon,  Stephen  Van 
Rensselaer,  of  Albany,  and  was  born  March  6,  1805.,  His  mother  was  a 
daughter  of  Judge  William  Paterson,  of  New  Jersey.  After  graduating  at 
Yale  College,  in  1824,  he  was  commissioned  aid-de-camp  to  Governor  De- 
Witt  Clinton,  with  the  title  of  colonel,  which  post  he  soon  relinquished,  and 
from  1826  spent  four  years  in  Europe,  traveling  extensively  and  pursuing  legal 
studies  in  Edinburg. 

Upon  his  return  he  entered  the  office  of  Peter  A.  Jay,  then  a  well  known 
lawyer  of  New  York.  For  a  number  of  years  afterward  he  resided  in  Albany 
^nd  Rensselaer  county,  but  the  last  twenty  years  of  his  life  were  spent  at  his 
home  at  Manursing  island,  near  Rye,  Westchester  county.  He  died  in  New 
York,  November  13,  1872. 

He  inherited  from  his  distinguished  father  many  noted  characteristics. 
Conspicuous  among  these  was  a  true  simplicity.  Free  from  all  pretension 
and  eminently  unselfish,  he  found  his  happiness  in  a  life  of  retirement  and  in 
unobtrusive  but  earnest  endeavors  to  do  good.  A  genuine  sympathy  with 
works  of  Christian  benevolence  was  another  inherited  trait.  He  was  an 
attentive  observer  of  the  great  and  philanthropic  movements  of  the  day  and 
a  most  liberal  supporter  of  every  worthy  cause  whose  claims  were  brought  to 
his  notice. 

A  man  of  noble  impulses  and  clear  convictions,  he  was  no  less  decided 
in  the  rebuke  of  injustice  and  iniquity  than  in  the  approval  of  that  which  was 
good.  The  uprightness  and  elevation,  the  kindliness  and  generosity  of  his 
nature,  his  fine  intellectual  gifts  and  high  culture,  and  with  all  an  unaffected 
humility,  the  fruit  of  true  religion,  made  him  the  marked  example  of  a  Chris- 
tian gentleman. 

WILLIAM  N.  SLATER. 

Numbered  among  the  progressive,  enterprising  business  men  of  Harri- 
son is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Though  he  has  been  here  but  a  few 
years,  dating  from  February,  1894,  he  has  succeeded  in  building  up  a  large 
and  flourishing  business  and  has  made  a  truly  enviable  reputation  for  upright- 
ness, justice  and  courteous  treatment  of  all  with  whom  he  has  entered  into 
iinancial  relations. 

The  Slaters  have  long  been  considered  representative  citizens  of  West- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  655 

Chester  county  and  none  are  more  thoroughly  respected  and  esteemed.  The 
father  and  grandfather  of  our  subject  both  bore  the  Christian  name  of  Abra- 
ham. The  father  is  now  retired  from  active  business  cares,  having  amassed 
a  comfortable  fortune  by  years  of  honest,  industrious  toil  in  his  chosen  voca- 
tion of  building  and  contracting.  He  married  Eva  E.  Schmaling,  a  native 
of  Rye  township,  and  she  has  been  a  true  helpmate  to  him,  sharing  his  joys 
and  sorrows  and  aiding  him  with  her  loving  womanly  sympathy  and  cheer. 
They  became  the  parents  of  five  children,  but  two  of  the  number  are 
deceased.  Abraham  H.  is  engaged  in  businesswith  the  subject  of  this  arti- 
cle, and  the  only  sister,  Mary  G. ,  is  at  home. 

The  birth  of  W.  N.  Slater  occurred  in  this  county,  March  i,  1872,  and 
here  he  grew  to  man's  estate,  receiving  an  excellent  public-school  education 
at  an  academy,  where  he  pursued  an  advanced  course  of  study.  He  was 
initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  business  life  long  before  attaining  his  majority, 
and  he  is  now  a  dealer  in  lumber,  lime,  cement,  brick,  and,  in  short,  almost 
everything  needed  in  the  construction  of  a  house  or  other  building,  and  keeps 
a  full  line  of  hardware,  paints,  oils,  etc.,  in  addition  to  which  he  runs  a 
feed,  grain  and  hay  store.  He  carries  a  very  large  and  well  selected  stock, 
and  strives  to  please  his  customers  as  to  price  and  quality  of  goods.  In 
manner  he  is  genial  and  obliging  and  his  word  is  always  to  be  depended  upon 
to  the  letter.  In  political  matters  he  sides  with  the  Democratic  party,  but 
he  has  given  little  attention  to  politics,  as  his  business  affairs  have  thus  far 
engrossed  his  whole  time. 

Upon  the  24th  of  September,  1896,  Mr.  Slater  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Sarah  B.  Haight,  .a  daughter  of  Thomas  A.  Haight,  an  old  and 
respected  citizen  of  Round  Hill,  Connecticut.  Mrs.  Slater  is  a  lady  of  good 
education  and  attainments  and  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church.  She 
takes  great  interest  in  religious  and  charitable  enterprises  and  is  aided  by  her 
husband  in  her  many  benevolent  enterprises.  They  have  an  attractive 
home,  where  their  hosts  of  friends  delight  to  congregate. 


GEORGE  GRAB,  Jr. 


The  genial  and  popular  proprietor  of  the  Central  Hotel,  and  also  owner 
of  the  New  Rochelle  BottHng  Works,  of  New  Rochelle,  New  York,  is  one  of 
the  most  enterprising,  energetic  and  successful  business  men  of  this  com- 
munity. He  is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  in  Baden,  December  i8,  1861, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Susan  (Saber)  Grab,  also  natives  of  Baden.  The 
father  was  a  general  business  man,  of  sound  judgment  and  good  executive 
ability,  and  carried  on  operations  in  Germany  until  1892,  when  he  emigrated 
to  America  and  located  in  New  Rochelle,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of 


656  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

his  days  in  retirement,  dying  here  August  13,  1897,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five 
years.  His  wife,  who  survives  him,  is  still  living  in  New  Rochelle,  and  is  in 
her  sixty-seventh  year. 

George  Grab,  Jr.,  was  educated  in  Germany,  being  admitted  to  school 
at  the  age  of  six  years  and  continuing  his  studies  until  he  attained  his 
fifteenth  year,  after  which  he  was  variously  employed  in  his  native  land.  It 
was  in  1880  that  he  came  to  the  United  States,  landing  at  the  port  of  New 
York,  and  from  that  city  he  came  at  once  to  New  Rochelle,  where  he  soon 
afterward  entered  the  employ  of  Becker  &  Sons,  and  later  of  Christian 
Becker,  manufacturer  of  fine  scales,  and  with  him  he  remained  for  seven 
years.  He  then  embarked  in  business  on  his  own  account,  opening  a  gro- 
cery store  on  Oak  street,  and  also  handling  beer.  In  1890  he  purchased  the 
Central  Hotel,  at  No.  17  North  street.  New  Rochelle,  which  he  has  since 
conducted  in  a  most  successful  manner,  making  his  place  a  favorite  resort 
with  the  traveling  public.  In  1889  he  also  became  agent  for  the  Stevenson 
Brewing  Company,  New  York  city,  which  responsible  position  he  still  holds, 
and  in  1897  he  purchased  the  entire  interest  of  the  New  Rochelle  Bottling 
Company,  and  in  that  branch  of  his  business  also  is  meeting  with  excellent 
success. 

In  1884  Mr.  Grab  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Caroline  Clarius,  of 
New  York  city,  and  they  now  have  two  interesting  children,  a  son  and 
daughter, —  Peter  C.  and  Mamie.  Politically  Mr.  Grab  is  a  stanch  Demo- 
crat, and  is  now  rendering  his  partj'  efficient  service  as  secretary  of  the 
Democratic  town  committee.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Frederick 
Hielig  Lodge,  No.  329,  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  and  has.  also  been  a  member  of  the 
Enterprise  Hook  &  Ladder  Company  for  the  past  fifteen  years,,  serving  as  its 
secretary  for  several  years,  and  being  the  second  oldest  member  of  the  com- 
pany now  living. 

JUDGE  STEPHEN  A.  MARSHALL. 
This  honored  resident  of  Port  Chester  was  born  April  18,  1837,  '"  Green- 
wich, Connecticut,  in  which  place  also  his  father,  Gilbert  Marshall,  was  born, 
November  3,  1809.  The  latter  devoted  his  life  to  the  shoe  business,  coming 
in  1859  to  Port  Chester,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death 
occurring  in  1892,  when  he  had  arrived  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  He 
was  a  Republican  but  not  publicly  active  in  political  matters,  and  in  religion 
he  was  a  Methodist,  being  active  and  efficient  in  church  work,  filling  about 
all  the  lay  offices  in  the  society.  He  had  seven  children,  viz.:  Ann  M., 
wife  of  David  S.  Betts,  of  Port  Chester;  Stephen  A.;  Joseph  H.,  bookkeeper 
and  confidential  man  at  the  Russell,  Birdsall  &  Word  Bolt  &  Nut  Works; 
Leslie  G.,  of  Port  Chester;  Abraham  F.,   of  Greenwich,   Connecticut;  Caro- 


.-e:^^^=C<<^  <S^^^^ 


-^ 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  657 

line  M.,  now  Mrs.  Charles  Riddle,  of  New  York;  and  Sarah  E.,  who  married 
Charles  Joy  and  is  living  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut.  The  eldest  is  now 
sixty-three  years  of  age  and  the  youngest  forty-nine,  and  all  are  married  and 
have  families. 

Stephen  Marshall,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  also  a 
native  of  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  where  he  passed  all  his  life,  his  occupation 
being  mainly  that  of  running  a  market  sloop  between  Greenwich  and  New 
York.  He  died  in  1837,  at  the  age  of  fifty-one  years.  Mr.  Gilbert  Marshall 
married  Miss  Deborah  Hoyt,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Thankful  (Benedict) 
Hoyt,  and  she  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years.  She  also  was  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Mr.  Stephen  A.  Marshall,  whose  name  heads  this  brief  sketch,  remained 
at  his  parental  home  attending  the  public  schools  until  fourteen  years  of  age, 
when  he  began  clerking  in  a  grocery  in  Greenwich,  and  continued  there  till 
August  II,  1853,  when  he  came  to  Port  Chester  and  was  clerk  in  a  dry-goods 
store  for  Samuel  Kelley  and  Johnston  A.  Deal  for  about  six  years.  Next  he  was 
engaged  in  the  bakery  business  until  1864,  when  he  sold  out.  Being  elected 
overseer  of  the  poor  in  1862,  he  served  in  that  office  three  years.  Next  he 
was  appointed  by  Governor  Horatio  Seymour  as  a  recruiting  officer  for  West- 
chester county  to  enlist  soldiers  for  the  army,  and  in  this  service  he  went  to 
Washington,  D.  C. ,  in  June,  1864,  and  remained  there  until  the  following 
May,  after  the  war  was  ended.  While  he  was  recruiting  officer  he  paid  out 
a  sum  between  eight  and  nine  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

After  the  war  he  returned  to  Port  Chester  and  engaged  in  the  wholesale 
cigar  and  tobacco  trade,  selling  mostly  to  merchants  in  this  county,  and  fol- 
lowed this  business  for  five  years.  In  1870  he  was  appointed  under-sheriff 
by  Sheriff  Brundige,  and  served  in  that  office  for  three  years;  for  the  subse- 
quent three  years  he  was  out  of  business;  in  1874  Mr.  Brundige  was  again 
elected  sheriff  and  Mr.  Marshall  was  again  appointed  deputy  by  him  and 
served  during  his  term  of  office,  and  also  in  the  same  capacity  under  Sheriff 
James  C.  Courter,  and  one  term  under  Sheriff  Stephen  D.  Horton,  two  terms 
under  Sheriff  Duffy,  and  one  term  under  Sheriff  Schumer, — so  that  altogether 
Mr.  Marshall  was  deputy  sheriff  for  a  period  of  twenty-one  years.  In  1888 
he  was  performing  the  duties  of  his  office  as  deputy  sheriff,  when  he  was 
appointed  justice  of  the  peace  at  Port  Chester,  ever  since  which  time  he  has 
held  the  office.  He  has  a  judicial  mind,  and  the  community  appreciate  his 
painstaking  care  and  impartial  fidelity.  In  his  view  of  national  policies  he  is 
a  Democrat,  and  has  been  active  in  the  interests  of  his  party  ever  since  he 
became  of  age.  From  1869  to  1879  he  was  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  village 
of  Port  Chester,  and  during  the  latter  year  he  was  elected  president  of  the 
village  and  served  one  term.     Next  he  was  clerk  of  the  village  for  five  years. 

42 


658  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

In  matrimony  Judge  Marshall  was  united  with  Miss  Jane  Leonard,  who 
died  January  27,  1899,  and  they  had  three  children:  Charles  A.,  now  a  pat- 
tern-maker at  the  Birdsall  &  Word  Bolt  and  Nut  Works;  Stephen  Leonard, 
deputy  postmaster  at  Port  Chester;  and  Emily  J. 


HALCYON    SKINNER. 


Yonkers  resembles  other  cities  in  that  some  of  its  citizens,  by  reason  of 
political  influence,  or  wealth,  or  fluency  of  speech,  have  attained  prominence 
for  a  brief  time,  and  then  have  been  forgotten.  Among  those  whose  distinc- 
tion is  deserved,  and  not  short-lived,  is  Halcyon  Skinner.  He  came  to 
Yonkers  in  1865,  an  unassuming  stranger,  neither  wealthy  nor  college-bred, 
in  dress  plain,  in  manners  quiet,  in  disposition  retiring,  a  man  of  more 
thought  than  words;  and  those  who  met  the  unpretentious  stranger  did  not 
know  that  his  labors  here  would  prove  such  an  important  factor  as  they  have 
become  in  promoting  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  town,  and  making  it 
famous  at  home  and  abroad  as  a  center  of  one  of  the  largest  carpet  industries 
in  the  world;  nor  did  they  know  that  his  great  ability  as  an  inventor  would 
materially  increase  the  wealth  of  the  country.  Mr.  Alexander  Smith,  his 
friend  and  employer,  appreciated  his  talent,  and  on  more  than  one  occasion, 
notably  when  Messrs.  A.  T.  Stewart  &  Company  endeavored  to  secure  his 
services,  he  made  such  arrangements  with  him  that  Mr.  Skinner  remained_ 
with  him. 

The  annals  of  Yonkers  would  be  incomplete  without  a  record  of  Mr. 
Skinner's  contributions  of  original  thought  to  its  development.  His  father, 
Joseph  Skinner,  of  New  England,  was  an  inventor  and  natural  mechanic, 
whose  tastes  turned  him  away  from  farming,  to  which  he  had  been  bred,  and 
influenced  him  to  engage  in  mechanical  pursuits.  Halcyon  Skinner's  early 
education  was  obtained  in  a  log-cabin  district  school  in  Ohio,  and  subse- 
quently, when  the  family  moved  to  Massachusetts,  he  attended  school  at 
Stockbridge  during  several  winters,  working  in  summer  for  the  neighboring 
farmers,  or  for  his  father  in  the  shop.  His  father's  success  in  devising  and 
constructing  machines  for  rapidly  and  efflciently  forming  the  various  parts  of 
violins,  led  him  to  the  construction  of  a  large  machine  for  cutting  veneers, 
and  one  of  his  father's  large  machines  for  veneer-cutting  was  in  use  for  some 
years  in  Mr.  Copcutt's  mill,  at  West  Farms,  New  York.  In  1838  the  family 
moved  to  West  Farms,  where  the  father  became  foreman  for  Mr.  Copcutt, 
and  the  son  worked  with  him  in  the  mill.  When  the  mill  was  destroyed  by 
fire,  in  1845,  Halcyon  Skinner  found  work  as  a  carpenter.  He  was  then 
twenty-one  years  old.      In  1849,  when  Mr.   Skinner  was  about  twenty-five 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  659 

years  of  age,  Alexander  Smith,  who  was  owner  of  a  small  carpet  factory  at 
West  Farms,  and  who  knew  something  about  his  mechanical  skill,  had  a 
conversation  with  him  about  a  new  method  of  dyeing  yarns,  in  which  he  and 
an  assistant  were  interested.  The  carpet  factory  was  not  then  in  operation, 
but  Mr.  Smith  and  Mr.  John  G.  McNair  were  engaged  in  devising  and  con- 
structing some  apparatus  for  parti-coloring  yarns  for  ingrain  carpets.  Mr. 
Smith  desired  Mr.  Skinner  to  aid  them.  The  object  was  to  so  dye  different 
parts  of  a  skein  of  yarn  that  when  woven  into  the  fabric  each  color  would 
appear  in  its  proper  place  in  the  design.  If  this  could  be  accomplished  the 
striped  appearance,  which  was  a  great  objection  in  ingrain  carpets,  would  be 
avoided.  The  process  required  reels  of  a  particular  form  and  a  special  reel- 
ing machine,  also  an  appartus  for  immersing  parts  of  the  skein  in  the  dye 
liquor  accurately  to  a  measured  depth.  Mr.  Skinner  overcame  the  difficulty 
with  which  the  experimenters  had  met,  and  devised  a  reeling  machine  and  dip- 
ping apparatus  which  proved  to  be  efficient.  A  factory  was  built  for  manu- 
facturing the  new  style  of  carpet  on  a  large  scale,  and  Mr.  Skinner  became 
the  general  mechanic  of  the  factory.  When  his  connection  with  the  Alex- 
ander Smith  &  Sons  Carpet  Company  terminated,  in  November,  1889,  he 
had  rendered  Mr.  Smith  and  his  business  successors  a  service  of  forty  years. 
Only  those  familiar  with  the  history  of  carpet  manufacture  in  the  United 
States  and  abroad  can  begin  to  realize  what  Mr.  Skinner  accomplished. 
The  carpet  industry  as  he  left  it  widely  differed  from  what  it  was  when  he 
became  connected  with  it. 

In  1855,  when  Mr.  Smith  spoke  to  him  about  the  possibility  of  construct- 
ing a  loom  for  weaving  Axminster  carpet,  that  fabric  was  woven  by  a  slow 
and  costly  process  of  hand  weaving.  It  seems  that  no  attempt  had  ever  been 
made  to  weave  it  in  any  other  way.  Mr.  Skinner  at  that  time  knew  little  or 
nothing  about  power  looms  of  any  kind,  and  had  not  even  seen  a  power  loom 
in  operation  for  many  years.  His  tools  were  few,  as  were  the  conveniences 
with  which  he  had  to  work.  The  invention  of  the  Axminster  loom  was  the 
beginning  of  a  new  period  in  the  art  of  carpet-weaving,  because  it  first  made 
possible  the  production  of  this  high-grade  fabric  by  automatic  machinery. 
■One  operative  with  the  new  loom  could  easily  produce  as  many  yards  per  day 
as  seven  or  eight  could  produce  by  the  best  previously  known  method.  The 
weaving  of  tapestry  ingrain  by  power  was  also  considered  to  be  impossible, 
until  Mr.  Skinner  devised  machinery  by  which  the  work  was  efficiently  done. 
When  looms  for  weaving  tapestry  Brussels  were  brought  to  Yonkers  from 
England  and  proved  defective,  Mr.  Skinner  designed  a  loom  so  superior  that 
eventually  the  number  of  yards  of  carpet  produced  by  it  was  double  the  num- 
ber manufactured  by  the  imported  loom  in  the  same  time.  The  English 
looms  were  sold  for  half  what  they  cost  to  make  room  for  the  improved  ones. 


660  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

"When  the  English  yarn-printing  machines  accompanying  the  looms  were 
found  unsatisfactory,  Mr.  Skinner  designed  a  new  machine  as  much  superior 
to  the  old  one  as  the  new  loom  was  to  the  imported  loom.  The  printing 
machines  from  England  were  broken  up. 

In  1874  he  received  from  A.  T.  Stewart  &  Company  an  offer  of  a  much 
larger  salary  than  he  was  receiving  from  the  Smith  Company,  to  enter  their 
service  and  take  supervision  of  the  mechanical  department  of  the  various  fact- 
ories which  they  controlled.    After  careful  consideration  he  decided  to  remain 
in  Yonkers,  and  made  an  engagement  with  Mr.  Smith  for  a  term   of  years. 
Immediately  after  the  engagement  Mr.  Smith  broached  to  him  the  subject  of 
getting  up  a  power  loom   for  weaving  moquette  carpets.      Mr.  Skinner  gave 
his  attention  to  the  matter  and   made   some  experiments,  but  as  much  of  his 
time  was  taken  up  with  planning  buildings  and  other  matters,  it  was  sev- 
eral years  before  much  progress  was  made.      In  1877  a  patent  was  obtained 
and  half  a  dozen  looms  were  built.      Two  of  these  were  sent  to  England  and 
France,  where   several  concerns  were   licensed  to  build   and  operate  looms 
under  the  patents  which  had  been  obtained  in  those   countries,  and  he  spent 
a  number  of  months  there  attending  to  the  construction  and  starting  of  them. 
In  1879  forty  looms  were  built  and  put  in  operation  by  the  Smith  Company. 
From  that  time  the  manufacture  of  moquette  carpets  increased  as  experience 
and  skill  were  acquired  in  operating  the  looms,  and  various  improvements  in 
details  were  made,  until  one  operator  attending  two  looms  can  weave  from 
twenty-five  to  thirty  times  as  much  in  a  given  time  as  could  be  woven  by  one 
working  by  the  best  methods  known  previous  to  the  invention  of  the  moquette 
power-loom.     These  and  other  very  important  inventions  did  not  engross  all 
Mr.  Skinner's  attention.     Much  of  his  time  was  occupied  in  oversight  of  the 
general  mechanical  work  of  the  large  factory,  and  in  planning  and  superin- 
tending the  construction  of  the  new  buildings  which  the  expanding  business 
required.    Having  reserved  the  right  to  use  in  looms  for  weaving  body-Brussels 
carpets  the  improvements  which  he  had  made  in  tapestry  looms,  Mr.  Skinner, 
in  1 88 1,  designed  for  the  Bigelow  Carpet  Company,  of  Clinton,  Massachusetts, 
a  loom  for  weaving  that  class  of  goods.     He  prepared  working  drawings,  and 
a  loom  was  built  at  the  works  of  the  company,  which  proved  so  successful 
that  all  the  looms  put  in  operation  after  that  time  were  constructed  after  his 
plans  in  preference  to  those  previously  designed  by  Mr.  E.  B.  Bigelow,  the 
original  inventor  of  the  power  looms  for  weaving  body-Brussels  carpets.    Mr. 
Skinner's  rights  in  the  subjoined  list  of  patents  were  assigned  to  Mr.  Alexan- 
der Smith,  or  to  the  Alexander  Smith  &  Sons  Carpet  Company: 

I.  Axminster  loom;  2,  Improvements  on  Axminster  loom;  3,  Improve- 
ments on  ingrain  loom;  4,  Improved  tapestry  loom;  5,  moquette  loom;  6, 
Improvements  on  moquette  loom;  7,  moquette  fabric  (4  shot);  8,  moquette 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  661 

fabric  (3  shot  and  2  shot);  9,  improved  chenille  carpet  loom;  10,  chenille  (or 
"  fur  ")  loom. 

When  Mr.  Skinner  began  working  for  Mr.  Alexander  Smith,  in  1849, 
the  establishment  consisted  of  one  small  wooden  building,  containing  nine- 
teen hand-looms  for  weaving  ingrain  carpet.  The  looms  were  not  then  in 
operation,  but  when  in  full  work  would  turn  out  about  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-five yards  per  day,  making  about  a  wagon  load  to  be  sent  to  New  York 
each  week.  The  looms  were  all  in  use  in  the  spring  of  1850,  when  the  new 
method  of  dyeing  had  proved  a  success.  When  Mr.  Skinner  left,  in  1889, 
after  a  service  of  forty  years,  there  was  a  series  of  large  brick  buildings,  with 
floor  room  to  the  extent  of  about  three  acres,  all  of  which  had  been  planned 
by  Mr.  Skinner  and  erected  under  his  supervision.  These  buildings  contained 
at  that  date  nearly  eight  hundred  power-looms,  the  more  important  and  valu- 
able of  which  Mr.  Skinner  had  invented  and  designed,  and  the  remainder 
of  which  he  had  so  greatly  improved  that  the  production  of  each  one  of  them 
equaled  that  of  two  of  those  used  previous  to  his  improvements.  About 
thirty-five  hundred  operatives  were  employed  in  the  various  departments,  and 
the  actual  production  of  all  kinds  reached  9,217,000  yards  per  year.  In 
1892,  three  years  later,  the  production  had  increased  to  40,000  yards  per 
day,  of  which  15,000  yards  were  moquette,  amounting  to  4,500,000  yards 
per  year  of  that  kind  of  carpet.  In  1895  the  number  of  looms  of  all  kinds 
had  reached  930. 

To  show  more  fully  the  importance  and  value  of  the  invention  of  the 
moquette  loom,  it  may  be  said  that  the  production  above  mentioned  (15,000 
yards  per  day)  would  yield  to  the  owners  of  the  patents  a  royalty  of  twenty 
cents  per  yard,  amounting  to  nine  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  year, 
besides  a  still  larger  amount  in  profits  to  the  manufacturer.  In  addition  to 
this,  the  Hartford  Carpet  Company,  in  this  country,  and  several  companies 
in  England  and  France,  were  paying  large  amounts  in  royalties.  The  most 
important  result  of  the  inventions  of  the  moquette  loom  and  auxiliary 
machinery  for  preparing  the  materials  is  the  reduction  in  the  price  of  this 
very  desirable  style  of  carpet  from  three  or  three  and  a  half  dollars  per  yard 
to  considerably  less  than  one  dollar,  thus  bringing  it  within  the  reach  of  all 
who  care  to  have  a  carpet  of  any  kind.  This  difference  in  price,  taking  the 
quality  produced  by  the  Smith  Company  alone  (say  15,000  yards  per  day), 
represents  a  saving  to  the  consumer  of  nearly  twelve  million  dollars  a  year. 
The  quantity  produced  by  other  companies  would  greatly  increase  this  amount. 
Notwithstanding  the  small  cost  of  manufacturing  this  fabric,  which  was  never 
produced  in  this  country  before  the  invention  of  the  loom,  the  daily  wages  of 
the  operatives  are  more  than  double  those  of  the  workers  under  former 
methods.     These  statements  help  one  to  realize  what  Mr.  Skinner  has  done 


662  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

for  Yonkers  and  for  the  country.  Since  leaving  the  Smith  Carpet  Company^ 
he  has  been  engaged  a  considerable  part  of  his  time  in  designing  and  con- 
structing a  new  moquette  loom,  which  has  shown  a  capacity  for  greatly  in- 
creased production  and  greater  economy  of  material.  Having  no  interest 
in  the  royalties  or  profits  derived  from  his  former  patents,  he  is  at  the  pres- 
ent time,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years,  with  the  co-operation  of  a  few 
friends,  making  preparations  for  manufacturing  carpets  in  the  mill  near  Nep- 
perhan  avenue,  and  at  the  east  end  of  the  Glen. 

Mr.  Halcyon  Skinner's  two  sons  are  both  inventors.  In  1879  Charles 
E.  Skinner,  who  had  worked  with  his  father  in  constructing  and  putting  in 
operation  the  Axminster  loom,  and  afterward  on  the  moquette  loom,  studied 
out  some  devices  by  which  he  thought  moquette  goods  could  be  woven  in  a 
way  different  from  that  in  which  the  original  loom  operated.  Not  being  a 
practical  weaver,  he  associated  with  himself  Mr.  Eugene  Tymeson,  who  had 
started  many  of  the  moquette  looms  at  the  Smith  works,  and  was  an  expert 
at  that  work.  An  experimental  loom  was  built  which  gave  good  results,  and 
a  patent  was  obtained.  Arrangements  were  made  by  which  the  patent,  with 
several  others  afterward  obtained,  were  transferred  to  the  Smith  Moquette 
Loom  Company,  for  the  consideration  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  in 
stock.  Unfortunately  for  him  the  company  did  not  prove  a  success  and  the 
stock  proved  to  be  of  no  value,  the  property  being  transferred  to  the  Alex- 
ander Smith  &  Sons  Carpet  Company.  His  improvements  were  not  put  in 
operation  as  a  whole,  but  some  of  them  were  applied  to  the  original  mo- 
quette loom,  with  the  result  of  a  considerable  increase  in  production. 

About  1 88 1  Mr.  Halcyon  Skinner's  second  son,  Albert  L.  Skinner,  who 
had  been  working  for  several  years  in  the  machine  shop  connected  with  the 
Smith  Works,  a  considerable  part  of  the  time  on  looms,  thought  he  could 
do  something  in  the  way  of  inventing  a  moquette  loom.  His  ideas  were 
quite  novel  and  gave  promise  of  good  results  if  properly  carried  out.  He 
made  drawings  of  some  devices  embodying  his  ideas,  and  obtained  a  patent 
for  the  same.  He  made  arrangements  with  the  Bigelow  Carpet  Company, 
of  Clinton,  Massachusetts,  and  built  a  loom,  which  was  put  in  operation  at 
their  works.  It  proved  very  successful,  and  a  large  number  of  the  looms 
were  built  and  have  been  profitably  operated  by  the  company  ever  since. 


ROBERT  A.    REYNOLDS. 


Bedford  township,  Westchester  county,  New  York,  includes  among  its 
intelligent  and  prosperous  citizens  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Robert  A. 
Reynolds,  whose  post-office  address  is  Katonah.  He  was  born  at  the  old 
Reynolds  homestead,  where  he  now  resides,  July  26,  1844. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  663 

As  far  back  at  the  Reynolds  family  can  trace  their  history  they  have  been 
New  Yorkers.  The  grandparents  of  Robert  A.  were  Joseph  and  Anna  (Fuller) 
Reynolds,  and  their  family  was  composed  of  ten  children,  seven  sons  and 
three  daughters,  of  whom  the  eldest,  Lewis,  died  in  March,  1898,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-six  years.  The  others  in  order  of  birth  were  named  as  follows: 
Aniza,  Horace,  Mary  Ann,  John  L. ,  William,  Phoebe  Jane,  Joseph  E. ,  Sarah 
E.  and  Hiram  B.;  and  of  these  Aniza,  William  and  Joseph  E.  are  deceased. 
Their  son  John  L. ,  who  was  the  father  of  Robert  A.,  was  born  August  30, 
1819,  in  Bedford  township,  Westchester  county.  To  him  and  his  M^ife  were 
born  nine  children,  of  whom  the  following  are  still  living:  W.  Henry,  Frances 
Totton,  Robert  A.,  Abigail,  Cassius  J.,  John  S.  and  George  McClellan. 

Robert  A.  Reynolds  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  has  always  made 
his  home  on  it  with  the  exception  of  the  three  years  he  spent  in  the  army. 
Soon  after  the  civil  war  was  inaugurated  his  youthful  ambition  and  his  strong 
patriotism  led  him  to  offer  his  services  to  the  union,  and  as  a  member  of  the 
Fourth  New  York  Heavy  Artillery  he  went  to  the  front.  He  was  in  the 
battle  of  Petersburg,  after  being  with  Grant  in  the  Wilderness  and  around 
Spottsylvania  Court  House.  Returning  home  October  20,  1864,  at  the  close 
of  three  years'  service,  he  resumed  work  on  the  farm,  and  has  been  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  ever  since. 

Politically,  Mr.  Reynolds  support  the  man  he  deems  best  fitted  for  the 
office  rather  than  holding  strictly  to  party  lines,  and  is  what  is  termed  an 
independent.  Socially,  he  is  identified  with  McKeel  Post,  No.  120,  G.  A.  R. 
Mrs.  Reynolds  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


HENRY  G.  V.  DeHART,  M.  D. 

For  a  period  of  twenty-five  years.  Dr.  DeHart  has  been  identified  with 
the  medical  profession  of  Westchester  county,  New  York,  and  since  1888  has 
resided  at  White  Plains.  Dr.  Henry  Garrett  Voorhees  DeHart  is  a  native  of 
New  York  city.  He  was  born  February  i,  1849,  and  traces  his  ancestry 
back  to  the  early  settlement  of  this  country  when  three  brothers  by  the  name 
of  DeHart  emigrated  from  France,  their  native  land,  to  America.  On  the 
voyage  over  they  formed  the  acquaintance  of  a  Holland  woman  by  the  name 
of  Van  Arsdalen,  whom  one  of  the  brothers,  the  ancestor  of  our  subject,  mar- 
ried, the  newly  wedded  couple  settling  on  the  southern  part  of  Long  Island, 
the  other  brothers  finding  homes  in  different  localities.  The  grandfather  and 
father  of  Dr.  De  Hart,  Uriah  and  Henry  De  Hart  respectively,  were  born  in 
New  Jersey,  the  latter  on  Ten  Mile  Run,  Middlesex  county,  September  11, 
1812.  He  was  in  his  earlier  life  a  school-teacher,  but  abandoned  that  pro- 
fession for  the  mercantile  business,  in  which  he  was  engaged  successfully  for 


664  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

a  period  of  forty  years.  He  died  in  1889.  Tiie  Doctor's  mother  was  before 
marriage  Miss  Cordelia  Newton.  Siie  was  born  in  Middlesex  county,  New 
Jersey,  November  6,  18 14,  daughter  of  William  Newton,  an  .Englishman, 
who  came  to  this  country  about  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  She 
died  in  November,   1896. 

The  first  five  years  of  his  life  the  subject  of  our  sketch  passed  in  his  nat- 
ive city.  Then  he  rnoved  with  his  parents  to  Kingston,  near  Princeton,  New 
Jersey,  and  while  there  he  attended  the  Lawrenceville  Classical  and  Com- 
mercial High  School.  From  the  latter  place  he  moved  with  his  parents  to 
New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  where  he  entered  Rutger's  College  in  the  year 
1867,  pursuing  his  studies  in  that  institution  until  1869.  He  then  began  the 
study  of  medicine  under  tha  precsptorship  of  Harry  R.  Baldwin,  M.  D.,  of 
New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  and  eventually  matriculated  at  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  New  York  city,  where  he  completed  the  course 
and  graduated  in  1873.  That  same  year  he  located  at  Pleasantville,  West- 
chester county,  where  for  fifteen  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  and  whence  he  came,  in  1888,  to  White  Plains,  During  the  ten 
years  of  his  residence  here  he  has  enjoyed  a  large  and  lucrative  practice,  and 
such  has  been  his  manner  of  life  that  it  has  won  him  the  confidence  and  high 
esteem  of  all  who  have  required  his  services  or  have  in  any  way  come  in  con- 
tact with  him. 

Dr.  DeHart  was  married  May  19,  1875,  to  Miss  Maggie  A.  Winship,  of 
Pleasantville,  New  York,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Almira  Winship,  the  latter 
a  lineal  descendant  of  John  Alden,  of  Plymouth  notoriety.  The  Doctor  and 
his  wife  have  six  children,  five  sons  and  one  daughter,  namely:  William 
Oscar,  Clarence,  Chester  Hartranft,  Henry  Harold,  Frederick  Alden  and 
Alice  Elaine.  The  eldest  son,  William  Oscar,  is  a  resident  of  New  York 
city. 

The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  White  Plains  Lodge,  No.  473,  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  of  the  Order  of  Chosen  Friends  and  the  Order  of  Foresters,  in  White 
Plains.  Also  he  is  a  member  of  "Westchester  County  Medical  Society,  and  is 
examining  surgeon  for  the  Provident  Life  Insurance  Society  of  New  York, 


CHARLES  F.  VALENTINE. 

A  representative  of  one  of  the  prominent  old  families  of  Westchester 
county,  founded  here  in  colonial  days,  Charles  F,  Valentine  was  born  at  the 
old  homestead  on  what  was  known  as  the  old  "  King's  Bridge  road"  but  is 
now  Trenchard  avenue,  Yonkers,  December  30,  183 1,  His  grandfather, 
James  Valentine,  was  born  in  the  house  which  was  used  by  General  Wash- 
ington as  his  headquarters  during  the  campaign  of  White  Plains  and  in  which 


Q'Mr^rj  ^'{/kj?//^^e. 


OJ^ 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  665 

the  plans  were  made  that  resulted  in  forcing  the  British  to  evacuate  New 
York.  Removing  to  a  farm  near  Bronxville,  James  Valentine  there  became 
the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  ninety  acres  of  land,  whereon  he  died  in  1816, 
at  the  age  of  fifty  years.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  in  religious 
faith  an  Episcopalian,  belonging  to  St.  John's  church.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Warner,  and  to  them  were  born  the  following  children,  besides  the  father  of 
Charles  F. :  Elizabeth,  who  became  the  wife  of  George  Briggs;  Harriet, 
wife  of  Shadrack  Taylor;  Ann;  Charlotte,  who  married  Archer  Martin;  Sarah, 
wife  of  Royal  Teftt;  Nathaniel;  Charles  and  Susan. 

Staats  Valentine,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  September  22, 
1800,  on  the  old  family  homestead  near  Bronxville,  and  made  farming  his 
life  work.  He  purchased  sixty  acres  of  land  bordering  Trenchard  avenue, 
Yonkers, — the  place  where  his  son  James  now  resides, — and  there  spent  his 
remaining  days.  He  was  a  fife  major  of  a  company  of  home  guards,  and  was 
a  member  of  St.  John's  Episcopal  church.  He  died  May  4,  1872,  and  his 
wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Abigail  Lawrence,  was  born  January  21, 
1803,  and  died  November  8,  1884,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  They 
had  a  family  of  six  children:  Delia,  deceased;  James  L. ;  Charles  F. ;  Ed- 
ward, deceased;  Abraham  Warner,  who  has  also  passed  away;  and  Emily, 
wife  of  Benjamin  Thompson,  of  Mount  Vernon. 

In  the  public  schools  of  Yonkers  Charles  F.  Valentine  acquired  his 
education,  subsequently  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  and  then  engaged  in 
contracting  and  building  in  New  York  city.  He  made  his  home  at  No.  443 
East  Eighty-eighth  street,  New  York,  and  was  prominently  identified  with 
the  building  interests  there  for  thirty  years,  or  until  1890.  He  erected  many 
substantial  residences  and  did  an  extensive  and  profitable  business,  acquiring 
a  handsome  competence.  In  1896  he  removed  to  Yonkers  and  erected  his 
present  residence  upon  the  old  homestead  tract,  part  of  which  is  still  owned 
•by  Charles  F.  and  James  L.  Valentine.  Since  returning  to  Yonkers  he  has 
devoted  himself  to  the  management  of  his  real-estate  interests,  and  has  also 
taken  contracts  for  the  erection  of  some  substantial  structures  in  the  city. 
His  business  career  has  been  characterized  by  untiring  diligence,  by  progress- 
ive methods  and  .honorable  dealing,  and  has  brought  very  satisfactory 
financial  returns. 

Mr.  Valentine  has  been  three  times  married.  He  first  married  Emma 
Reeves,  who  died  July  12,  1865,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years.  In  March, 
1867,  he  wedded  Isabella  Gray  and  to  them  were  born  three  children,  but 
all  are  now  deceased.  His  present  wife  was  formerly  Mrs.  Edith  Bowne, 
and  their  marriage  was  celebrated  June  12,  1887. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Valentine  is  a  stalwart  Republican  and  took 
an  active  part  in  furthering  the  cause  of  his  party  in  the  old  twenty-second 


666  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

assembly  district  of  New  York.  He  did  much  campaign  work  and  public 
speaking  in  a  local  way  and  has  always  kept  well  informed  on  the  issues  of 
the  day,  so  that  he  has  ever  been  able  to  give  an  intelligent  support  to  the 
party  principles.  He  has  always  been  especially  alert  in  defeating  the  plans 
of  those  who  sought  office  merely  for  personal  considerations,  and  given  his 
aid  to  those  whom  he  believed  would  prove  valuable  and  trustworthy  public 
servants.  He  never  sought  or  accepted  office  himself,  his  labors  being  solely 
for  the  advancement  of  political  principles  which  he  believed  would  promote 
the  general  welfare.  In  religious  belief  he  is  a  Methodist,  his  membership 
being  in  a  church  of  that  denomination  in  New  York  city. 


JAMES  L.   VALENTINE. 

The  subject  of  this  review,  who  is  living  at  the  old  family  homestead  in 
Yonkers,  was  born  on  the  farm  near  Tuckahoe,  where  his  grandfather  resided, 
December  24,  1829,  and  he  received  his  educational  discipline  in  the  public 
schools.  When  a  youth  he  went  with  the  family  to  his  present  home  on 
Trenchard  avenue,  which  has  been  his  place  of  abode  continuously  since. 
He  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming,  and  in  connection  with  his  brother, 
Charles  F. ,  retains  an  interest  in  the  old  homestead.  They  have  sold  a 
small  portion  of  this  for  building  sites,  and  have  recently  divided  more  of  it 
into  town  lots.  It  is  a  valuable  property,  which  has  greatly  increased  in 
value  with  the  growth  and  development  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Valentine  is  a  member  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  church.  He  served 
his  term  in  the  general  muster,  and  is  a  supporter  of  the  Republican  party. 
He  is  a  bachelor,  is  a  man  of  most  sterling  characteristics,  and  is  progressive 
and  enterprising,  having  maintained  a  lively  interest  in  all  that  concerns  the 
welfare  of  the  community.  In  temperament  and  manner  he  is  cordial  and 
genial,  and  he  is  held  in  high  esteem  in  the  community  where  his  long  and 
useful  life  has  been  passed. 


FREDERICK  C.   HAVEMEYER. 

Frederick  C.  Havemeyer,  the  longest  surviving  son  of  his  father's  family, 
was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York  in  1807.  At  the  age  of  nine  years  he 
entered  the  classical  school  conducted  by  Joseph  Nelson,  a  very  popular 
instructor  familiarly  known  as  the  blind  teacher.  In  1821  he  entered  Colum- 
bia College,  where  he  remained  till  the  completion  of  the  sophomore  year,, 
obtaining  that  mental  discipline  and  classical  knowledge  which  so  largely 
assisted  him  in  mercantile  life.  His  father  and  uncle  had  previously  estab- 
lished a  sugar  refinery,  under  the  name  of  W.  &  F.  C.  Havemeyer,  in  Van- 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  667 

dam  street.  New  York.  This  establishment  he  entered  as  an  apprentice  and 
was  formally  introduced  as  such  to  his  uncle  by  his  father.  Having  obtained 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  business,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
cousin,  William  F.  Havemeyer,  afterward  mayor  of  New  York,  which  con- 
tinued till  1842,  when  both  retired  from  business,  and  was  succeeded  by  their 
brothers,  Albert  and  Diederick.  Possessing,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  sufficient 
skill  and  knowledge  to  conduct  the  business  of  a  refinery,  during  all  the 
years  of  this  co-partnership  he  worked  with  his  men  in  every  branch  of  the 
business,  from  passing  coal  to  the  furnaces  to  the  highest  duties  of  refining, 
becoming  an  expert  in  every  department;  and  this  experience  gave  him 
immense  advantage  when,  at  a  future  day,  under  systems  not  then  discov- 
ered, it  was  his  destiny  to  re-enter  a  business  which  he  then  supposed  he  had 
left  forever. 

His  father  died  in  1841,  and  then  for  ten  years  Mr.  Havemeyer  devoted 
himself  to  the  care  of  his  own  and  his  father's  estates.  During  these  years 
he  made  a  tour  of  pleasure  and  observation  through  the  United  States,  and 
also  traveled  in  Europe.  In  1855  he  again  engaged  in  active  business  in 
Williamsburg,  then  a  suburb  of  Brooklyn,  and  the  business  then  established 
was  continued  with  greatly  increased  facilities.  So  greatly  did  it  grow  that 
the  capacity  of  refining  was  increased  five  hundred  tons  of  raw  sugar  a  day, 
and  four  thousand  barrels  of  refined  sugar  were  turned  out  every  twenty-four 
hours.  The  consumption  of  coal  was  one  hundred  tons  per  day,  while  two 
hundred  men  were  employed,  and  the  steam  engines  represented  twenty-two 
hundred  horse  power.  Throughout  the  whole  establishment  everything  was 
conducted  in  the  most  systematic  manner,  and  a  practical  man  visiting  the 
establishment  was  immediately  impressed  with  the  magnificient  engineering 
everywhere  present, —  the  arrangement  of  the  machinery,  the  closeness  of 
the  connections  and  arrangements  for  the  cheap  and  easy  handling  of  the 
immense  amount  of  material  daily  used.  There  were  seventeen  steam 
engines,  many  of  them  of   large  capacity,  and  all  of  modern  construction. 

In  1 86 1  the  firm  was  composed  of  Frederick  C.  Havemeyer,  his  son 
George  and  Dwight  Townsend,  under  the  firm  name  of  Havemeyer  &  Com- 
pany. George  Havemeyer  was  killed  by  an  accident  before  the  close  of  the 
year.  He  was  a  young  man  of  brilliant  promise  and  his  death  was  a  severe 
blow  to  his  father's  family.  Subsequently  Mr.  Havemeyer  admitted  his  son, 
Theodore  A.,  and  his  son-in-law,  J.  Lawrence  Elder,  as  partners,  and  the 
firm  name  became  Havemeyers  &  Elder.  F.  C.,  Theodore  A.  and  H.  O. 
Havemeyer  and  Charles  H.  Senff  then  constituted  the  firm. 

In  January,  1882,  the  principal  buildings  of  the  refinery  were  destroyed 
by  fire.  A  new  and  more  capacious  refinery  was  soon  after  erected  upon  an 
adjoining  site. 


668  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Mr.  Havemeyer  married  Sarah  L.  Osborne,  and  their  children  were 
Frederick,  George  W.  (deceased),  Theodore  A.,  Thomas  J.,  Harry  O.,  Mary 
(wife  of  J.  Lawrence  Elder),  Catharine  (wife  of  L.  J.  Belloni,  Jr.)  and  Sarah 
L.  (wife  of  Frederick  Jackson). 


DR.   ROBERT  A.   FONES. 


Dr.  Robert  A.  Fones,  of  Yonkers,  New  York,  is  a  son  of  Christopher 
and  Sarah  A.  (Marigold)  Fones  and  was  born  at  Demorestville,  Ontario,  Can- 
ada, January  4,  1853.  His  family  name  denotes  his  French  origin.  On 
both  his  father's  side  and  his  mother's  he  is  a  descendant  of  French  Hugue- 
nots. His  paternal  great-grandfather  was  an  exile  to  England  during  the  reign 
of  Louis  XIV  and  afterward  became  an  officer  in  the  English  navy.  On  his 
retirement  he  was  given  a  tract  of  land,  embracing  fifteen  hundred  acres,  in 
the  state  of  Rhode  Island,  where  the  old  town  of  Wickford  now  stands.  His 
son  Daniel,  the  grandfather,  and  Christopher,  the  father  of  Robert,  were 
born  on  the  ancestral  acres  and  the  latter  married  Sarah  A.  Marigold,  of 
South  Carolinian  lineage,  also  a  descendant  of  French  Huguenots. 

Christopher  Fones  was  born  in  1808  and  after  acquiring  an  education 
became  an  architect  and  builder  and  operated  for  some  years  at  Marigold's 
Point,  Ontario,  Canada,  having  emigrated  there,  and  there  he  was  married. 
He  became  extensively  known  as  a  contractor  and  builder  and  died  in  1875, 
aged  sixty-seven.  His  wife,  who  still  lives,  having  passed  her  eightieth  year, 
bore  him  eleven  children,  as  follows  :  Dr.  Civilian  Fones,  a  prominent 
dentist  and  ex-mayor  of  Bridgeport,  Connecticut;  Daniel,  who  died  in  infancy; 
Dr.  A.  E.  Fones,  also  a  dentist,  living  at  Bridgeport,  Connecticut;  Augusta, 
who  married  Samuel  McDonald,  a  real-estate  and  insurance  agent  of  Bloom- 
field,  Canada;  Sarah  G. ,  who  married  Wilbur  Parrott,  a  lawyer  of  Philadel- 
phia, Pennsylvania;  Calista,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty;  John  H.  Fones, 
a  contractor  and  builder,  of  Oakland,  California;  Dr.  Robert  A.  Fones;  Dr. 
Charles  Fones,  a  dentist  of  New  York  city;  Maggie  Fones,  and  Jacob  Fones, 
deceased. 

Dr.  Robert  A.  Fones  was  graduated  in  1875,  ^"d  took  the  faculty  prize 
as  honor  man  of  his  class.  He  studied  dental  surgery  under  the  preceptor- 
ship  of  his  brother,  Dr.  Civilian  Fones,  of  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  and 
began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Yonkers  in  1877.  He  returned  to 
Bridgeport  in  1879,  and  in  1882  again  located  in  Yonkers  for  a  short  time. 
After  a  year  spent  in  practice  in  California,  he  came  back  to  Yonkers,  where 
he  has  built  up  a  large  and  successful  practice  and  enjoys  the  distinction  of 
being  the  oldest  dentist  in  the  city.  His  standing  in  his  profession  is  very 
high  and  he  is  a  member  of  various  professional  organizations,  including  the 


(J^j/yjs2i.^^t^a^z^. 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  669- 

Connecticut  Valley  Dental  Association.  He  has  always  taken  a  deep  inter- 
est in  athletics  and  is  a  member  of  the  Palisade  Boat  Club,  one  of  the  popu- 
lar local  yacht  clubs,  and  the  Yonkers  Bicycle  Club.  As  a  citizen  he  has 
been  as  progressive  as  he  has  been  professionally,  and  every  worthy  move- 
ment for  the  public  good  has  had  his  hearty  and  generous  co-operation.  He 
has  for  some  years  been  identified  with  the  Yonkers  Board  of  Trade  and  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  the  work  which  has  been  carried  on  by  that  body. 

Dr.  Fones  was  married,  March  31,  1898,  to  Miss  Isadora  Lynt,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Peter  B.  and  Laura  Lynt,  of  Ardsley,  this  county. 


STEPHEN  W.  SMITH. 


This  gentleman  is  a  well-known  contractor  and  builder  of  White  Plains, 
New  York,  of  whose  skill  many  notable  examples  are  to  be  seen  at  various- 
points  in  this  region.  Thoroughly  reliable  in  all  things,  the  quality  of  his 
work  is  a  convincing  test  of  his  own  personal  worth,  and  the  same  admirable 
trait  is  shown  in  his  conscientious  discharge  of  the  duties  of  different  posi- 
tions of  trust  and  responsibility  to  which  he  has  been  chosen  in  business  and 
political  life. 

A  native  of  Westchester  county,  Mr.  Smith  was  born  in  Harrison,  Octo- 
ber 13,  1834,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  Smith,  also  a  native  of  this  county, 
who  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  a  son  of  Joseph  Smith.  The  father 
died  when  our  subject  was  only  four  years  old,  leaving  a  widow  and  seven 
children  in  rather  limited  circumstances.  The  mother,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Freelove  Lonsbury,  was  born  in  Newburg,  New  York,  on  the  Hud- 
son river,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Lonsbury.  There  were  eight  children 
in  the  family,  who  lived  to  years  of  maturity,  namely:  Eliza  Ann,  now 
deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  John  Hendrickson;  Daniel  S.,  a  resident  of 
White  Plains;  Mary;  Henry  L. ;  Phebe,  wife  of  W.  P.  Hamell,  of  White 
Plains;  Stephen  W. ,  of  this  sketch;  and  Thomas  L. ,  who  died  in  his  twenty- 
first  year. 

The  first  sixteen  years  of  his  life  Stephen  W.  Smith  spent  in  Harrison, 
New  York,  where  he  attended  the  town  school.  He  then  came  to  White 
Plains  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade  with  his  brother-in-law,  George  Smith, 
and  after  serving  a  four-years  apprenticeship  he  traveled  as  a  journeyman,, 
working  at  his  trade  in  this  way  for  several  years.  He  then  started  in  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account  as  a  contractor  and  builder,  and  has  since  erected 
many  of  the  best  houses  at  White  Plains  and  also  buildings  in  adjacent 
townships. 

Mr.  Smith  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  building  and  loan  association 
of  White  Plains,  and  has  also  been  one  of  its  directors  since  1888.     For  four- 


670  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

years  he  was  chief  of  the  fire  department  at  that  place,  which  also  he  was 
instrumental  in  organizing;  is  a  trustee  of  the  Home  Savings  Bank  of  White 
Plains,  and  in  January,  1898,  he  was  elected  commissioner  of  highways.  He 
has  always  taken  an  active  and  prominent  part  in  every  enterprise  calculated 
to  prove  of  public  good.  Socially  he  is  a  leading  member  of  White  Plains 
Lodge,  No.  473,  F.  &  A.  M.,  having  become  identified  with  that  order  in 
1863.  In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  has  held  several  minor 
offices.  He  is  now  a  school  trustee  at  White  Plains;  has  been  a  member  of 
the  school  board  for  six  years;  assessor  of  the  village  for  eight  years;  village 
trustee  four  years,  and  collector  of  taxes  for  two  years.    ■ 

In  1857  Mr.  Smith  married  Miss  Sarah  E.  See,  of  New  York  city,  the 
eldest  daughter  of  Ervin  and  Susanna  See,  in  whose  family  were  four  chil- 
dren,— one  son  and  three  daughters.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  three  chil- 
dren: Stephen  C. ,  the  eldest,  now  in  partnership  with  his  father,  was  mar 
ried  December  29,  1885,  to  Miss  Hattie  E.  Eggleston,  and  has  had  two 
children:  Hattie  Pearl,  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirteen  months,  and  Stephen 
E.,  born  May  i,  1889;  Albert  H.,  the  second  son  of  Mr.  Smith,  was  born 
January  26,  1866,  and  was  married  April  25,  1888,  to  Louise  Johns,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Albert  Irving,  now  aged  nine  years;  and  Gertrude  F., 
the  only  daughter,  is  now  the  wife  of  William  H.  Ford  and  resides  in  White 
Plains.  Our  subject  and  his  wife  have  a  pleasant  home  at  No.  35  Lexing- 
ton avenue,  White  Plains,  where  they  delight  to  entertain  their  many  friends 


JOHN  JAY. 

John  Jay,  sixth  son  of  Peter  Jay,  was  born  December  12,  1745,  spent  his 
boyhood  at  Rye  and  New  Rochelle,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1768. 
On  April  28,  1774,  he  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  William  Livingston,  after- 
ward governor  of  New  Jersey.  He  soon  took  a  foremost  position  in  the  poli- 
tics of  the  country  and  was  prominent  in  the  debates  of  the  first  and  second 
continental  congresses.  In  1779  he  was  appointed  chief  justice  of  the  state 
of  New  York.  In  1778  he  was  elected  president  of  congress.  In  1779  he 
was  sent  as  minister  to  Spain,  and  thence,  in  1780,  went  to  Paris  as  commis- 
sioner to  assist  in  the  negotiation  of  a  treaty  of  peace  with  Great  Britain. 
He  returned  to  New  York  in  1784,  after  an  absence  of  five  years,  and  was 
received  with  tokens  of  esteem  and  admiration.  December  21,  1784,  he  was 
appointed  by  congress  secretary  for  foreign  affairs,  and  held  the  office  for  five 
years.  He  was  one  of  the  contributors  to  "The  Federalist."  In  1789  he 
was  appointed  chief  justice  of  the  United  States, — an  office  which  he  was  the 
the  first  to  fill.  In  1794  he  was  sent  as  special  minister  to  London,  upon  a 
delicate  and  most  important  mission,  relating  to  difficulties  growing  out  of 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  671 

unsettled  boundaries  and  certain  commercial  complications.  He  discharged 
this  duty  with  great  ability,  and  upon  his  return  to  America,  in  1795,  was 
elected  by  a  large  majority  governor  of  the  state  of  New  York.  At  the  end  of 
three  years  he  was  re-elected,  and  at  the  expiration  of  a  second  term  was  solic- 
ited to  become  a  candidate  for  election  a  third  time.  But  he  had  determined 
to  renounce  public  life,  and  though  nominated  again,  in  1800,  to  the  office  of 
chief  justice  of  the  United  States,  declined  the  honor  and  retired  to  his 
paternal  estate,  at  Bedford,  a  property  which  was  a  part  of  the  Van  Cortlandt 
estate,  and  which  his  father  had  acquired  by  marriage  to  Mary,  a  daughter 
of  Jacobus  Van  Cortlandt.  There  for  twenty-eight  years  he  lived  a  peaceful 
and  honored  life.  In  1827  he  was  seized  with-  severe  illness,  and,  after  two 
years  of  weakness  and  suffering,  was  struck  with  palsy,  May  14,  1829,  and 
died  three  days  afterward.  He  was  buried  in  the  family  cemetery  at  Rye. 
His  public  reputation  as  a  patriot  and  statesman  of  the  Revolution  was  sec- 
ond only  to  that  of  Washington,  and  his  private  character  as  a  man  and  a 
Christian  is  singularly  free  from  stain  or  blemish. 

John  Clarkson  Jay,  M.  D.,  eldest  son  of  Peter  Augustus  Jay,  was  born 
September  11,  1808,  and  married  Laura,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Prime.  He 
was  the  proprietor  of  the  estate  at  Rye,  and  was  the  well  known  representa- 
tive of  the  family  in  Westchester  county.  After  a  thorough  preparation  in 
schools,  among  which  were  those  of  the  blind  teacher,  Mr.  Nelson,  and  the 
McCuUoch  school  at  Morristown,  New  York,  he  entered  Columbia  College, 
at  which  he  graduated,  together  with  the  late  secretary  of  state,  Hamilton 
Fish,  and  many  other  distinguished  men,  in  the  class  of  1827.  In  1831  he 
took  his  degree  as  M.  D.  He  was  a  deep  student  of  natural  history,  espe- 
cially of  conchology,  and  the  valuable  collection  of  shells  formerly  in  his 
possession,  which  is  now  in  the  New  York  Museum  of  Natural  History,  hav- 
ing been  purchased  by  Miss  Wolf  and  presented  to  that  institution  by  her,  in 
memory  of  her  father,  has  the  reputation  of  being  the  finest  in  the  country. 
On  this  branch  Dr.  Jay  wrote  several  pamphlets,  among  which  are  the  fol- 
lowing: Catalogue  of  Recent  Shells,  etc.;  New  York,  1835,  8vo.,  pp.  56; 
Description  of  New  and  Rare  Shells,  with  four  plates;  New  York,  1836,  2d 
ed.,  pp.  78;  A  Catalogue,  etc.,  together  with  a  Description  of  New  and  Rare 
Species;  New  York,  pp.  125,  4to.,  ten  plates.  The  article  on  shells  in  the 
narrative  of  Commodore  Perry's  expedition  to  Japan,  is  also  by  him.  He 
was  connected  with  many  prominent  literary  and  social  organizations  both  in 
Westchester  county  and  in  the  city  of  New  York,  where  he  spent  much  of  his 
time.  He  was  for  many  years  a  trustee  of  Columbia  College,  and  at  two 
different  periods  served  as  trustee  of  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
of  the  City  of  New  York.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  and  at  one  time 
recording  secretary  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club,  the  annals  of  which  will 


672  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

show  the  hvely  interest  which  he  took  in  its  management  and  general  affairs. 
The  records  of  the  New  York  Lyceum  of  Natural  History,  now  known  as  the 
New  York  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  will  exhibit  the  interest  manifested 
by  him  in  that  most  useful  organization. 

Dr.  Jay  was  an  Episcopalian,  and  was  connected  for  many  years  with 
Christ  Church  at  Rye,  of  which  he  was  warden.  He  was  well  known 
throughout  Westchester  county,  where  he  was  so  long  greatly  appreciated  for 
his  social  and  literary  qualities. 

These  and  many  other  iilustrious  names  have  adorned  the  history  of  the 
Jay  family  in  America,  the  members  of  which  have  ever  been  faithful  to  their 
country,  faithful  to  their  religion  and  faithful  to  themselves.  Their  residence 
there  has  added  luster  to  Westchester  county,  and  their  noble  influence  will 
be  remembered  while  American  history  continues  to  be  read. 


INGERSOLL    F.   KNOWLTON. 

Ingersoll  F.  Knowlton,  one  of  the  representative  and   highly  esteemed 
citizens  of  North  Castle  township,  where  he  is  successfully  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  and  milling,  has  been  a  resident  of  Westchester  county.  New 
York,  since  1863,  and  has  been  prominently  identified  with  its  best  interests. 
He  is  a  native  of  Connecticut,  born  in  Fairfield  county,  December  7,   1840, 
and  belongs  to  one  of  the  most  distinguished  families  of  early  colonial  days, 
several  of  its  members  being  prominent  officers  in   the   Indian   and   Revolu- 
tionary wars.     These  include  his  great-grandfather.  Colonel  Daniel  Knowl- 
ton, who  saved  the  life  of  General  Putnam  in  1757  during  the  French   and 
Indian  war,  and  his  great-uncle,    Colonel  Thomas   Knowlton,    whose  statue 
adorns  the  grounds  of  the  state  capitol  at  Hartford,  Connecticut.      Our  sub- 
jeci;'s  parents  were  Rev.  Farnham  and  Sarah  (Ingersoll)  Knowlton,  the  latter 
a  daughter  of  Simon  Ingersoll,  and  the  children  born  to  this  worthy  couple 
were,  in  order  of  birth:  Sarah,  deceased;  Miner  N.,  who  served  with  distinc- 
tion as  a  major  in  the  civil  war  and  is  now   a  resident  of  Chicago;  George;. 
Ingersoll  F. ;  and   Mrs.  Emily  Hoyt.     The   mother  died    in  1853,   and   after 
long  surviving  her  the  father  passed  away  in  1880. 

The  subject  of  this  review  received  his  education  at  the  Literary  Institute 
at  Suffield,  Connecticut,  and  for  a  time  he  successfully  followed  the  teach- 
er's profession.  November  17,  1862,  he  was  appointed  an  assistant  engineer 
by  the  Hon.  Gideon  Welles,  then  secretary  of  the  United  States  Navy.  Mr. 
Knowlton  was  in  the  memorable  engagement  of  Admiral  Farragut  in  Mobile 
bay,  where  the  Confederate  ram  Atlanta  was  captured,  and  the  United  States 
iron-clad  Tecumseh  was  sunk  by  a  torpedo  of  the  enemy. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  resigned   his  position.      He  now  resides  ia 


J^^-^^rT^  ^  /f^^uo.^^ 


^7>o 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  678 

Armonk,  Westchester  county,  on  his  own  estate,  on  which  is  still  standing 
the  small  house  in  which  Major  Andre  was  held  a  prisoner  one  night,  after 
his  capture  with  dispatches  from  Benedict  Arnold. 

In  1863  Mr.  Knowlton  married  Miss  Carrie  S.  Carpenter,  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  B.  and  Hannah  (Sands)  Carpenter,  and  by  this  union  he  had  three 
children:  Sarah;  and  J.  Everett  and  Jacob  C,  both  of  whom  died  at  the 
age  of  thirty  years.  The  wife  and  mother  was  called  to  her  final  rest  in 
1867,  and  Mr.  Knowlton  was  again  married,  February  13,  1872,  his  second 
union  being  with  Miss  Hannah  Carpenter,  a  daughter  of  Rees  Carpenter,  a 
prominent  citizen  of  Westchester  county.  She  traces  her  ancestry  back  to 
Richard  Carpenter,  who  lived  and  died  in  Amesbury,  Wiltshire,  England. 
William,  his  son,  came  to  America  previously  to  1636  and  settled  in  Rhode 
Island,  with  Roger  Williams.  Joseph,  son  of  William,  removed  to  Long 
Island  and  bought  a  tract  of  land  of  the  Indians  near  Glen  Cove.  Nathaniel, 
son  of  Joseph,  married  Tamer  Coles  and  removed  to  North  Castle,  near 
Armonk.  His  son,  Timothy,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  this  county, 
which  so  pleased  the  Indians  that  they  gave  it  one  hundred  acres  of  land  in 
Byram  valley.  He  married  Phebe  Coles.  Timothy's  son,  also  named  Tim- 
othy, married  Hannah  Ferris,  a  daughter  of  John  Ferris,  of  Bedford.  His 
son,  William,  remained  on  the  homestead  and  married  Deborah  Cocks,  in 
1788,  and  their  son,  Rees,  was  born  in  1789,  and  married  Miss  Sarah  Bow- 
ron,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  (Story)  Bowron,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  five  children,  namely:  Jacob,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight 
years;  David,  a  resident  of  New  Castle,  this  county;  Phebe,  deceased  wife  of 
I.  H.  Hoag;  Freelove,  who  was  the  second  wife  of  I.  G.  Hoag,  and  died  in 
1893;  and  Hannah,  wife  of  our  subject.  The  father  of  these  children,  one 
of  the  leading  and  highly  respected  citizens  of  his  community,  died  at  the 
ripe  old  age  of  eighty-two  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  served  as  supervisor  of  his  township 
for  many  years.  Mr.  Knowlton  and  his  family  are  also  identified  with  the 
Society  of  Friends,  and  have  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  all  who  know 
them. 

LEWIS  C.   POPHAM. 

Lewis  C.  Popham,  youngest  child  of  William  Sherbrook  Popham,  was 
born  on  the  old  homestead  in  Scarsdale,  April  15,  1833.  Receiving  his  edu- 
cation at  the  well-known  school  of  Rev.  Dr.  Harris,  at  White  Plains,  he 
joined  his  father  in  business,  and  in  due  time  succeeded  to  it  and  the  family 
estate.  Besides  carrying  on  his  large  business  interests  in  New  York  city,  he 
has  been  for  the  last  sixteen  years  justice  of  the  peace  of  the  town  of  Scars- 
dale.  He  is  of  an  exceedingly  social  disposition  and  justly  reckoned  among 
43 


674  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

the  most  popular  citizens  of  Westchester  county.  He  married  Annie  J., 
daughter  of  Alexander  Flemming,  of  Bellows  Falls,  Vermont.  Their  chil- 
dren are  Emma  A.  (wife  of  Cornelius  B.  Fish),  Alice  H.,  Annie  F. ,  Alex- 
ander F.  and  Louise  C. 

Mr.  Popham  still  resides  in  the  old  homestead,  which  was  built  by  his 
grandfather.  Major  Popham,  in  1783.  It  adjoins  the  Morris  property  and  is 
rich  in  its  collection  of  antiques,  bric-a-brac  and  old  paintings.  A  portion  of 
the  tea-set  presented  to  Major  Popham  by  General  Washington  is  still  in 
possession  of  the  family. 

SAMUEL  W.   PALMER. 

Samuel  W.  Palmer,  an  honored  citizen  of  Armonk,  North  Castle  town- 
ship, and  one  of  the  brave  defenders  of  the  Union  during  the  trying  days  of 
the  civil  war,  is  a  native  of  Westchester  county,  born  in  North  Castle,  August 
8,  1838,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  R.  and  Eliza  (Wykoff)  Palmer,  representa- 
tives of  old  and  prominent  families  of  this  region.  His  parents  and  grand- 
parents were  also  natives  of  this  county,  and  his  maternal  grandfather  was  a 
soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  father,  who  was  a  blacksmith  by 
trade,  died  in  1844,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-eight  years,  and  the  mother 
departed  this  life,  in  i860,  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven.  Both  were  earnest, 
consistent  Christian  people,  the  former  a  member  of  the  Friends'  church,  the 
latter  of  the  Reformed  church.'  In  their  family  were  four  sons,  who  reached 
years  of  maturity,  and  three  were  among  the  "  boys  in  blue"  in  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion.  Besides  our  subject,  the  others  were  John,  who  was  wounded 
in  the  service,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Copnecticut;  Henry,  who  was  cor- 
poral in  the  First  New  York  Mounted  Rifles;  and  Charles,  who  died  in  1894. 

Samuel  W.  Palmer  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  township  and  acquired 
his  education  in  its  public  schools.  During  his  youth  he  also  learned  the  shoe- 
maker's trade,  which  he  successfully  followed  for  many  years.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1862,  however,  he  laid  aside  all  personal  interests  and  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany I,  First  New  York  Mounted  Rifles,  under  command  of  Captain  Thomas 
Farrgraves  and  Colonel  Dodge.  The  regiment  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of 
the  James,  and  was  under  General  Benjamin  F.  Butler  for  a  time.  They 
participated  in  many  battles  and  skirmishes  of  note,  were  in  the  siege  of 
Suffolk,  and  were  in  several  fights  with  General  Mosby's  troopers  and  bush- 
whackers. Although  he  entered  the  service  as  private,  Mr.  Palmer  was  pro- 
moted by  gallant  conduct  to  the  rank  of  corporal,  and  later  as  sergeant,  of 
Company  I.  The  war  being  over,  and  his  services  no  longer  needed,  he  was 
honorably  discharged  at  City  Point,  Virginia,  in  December,  1865,  and  was 
paid  off  and  mustered  out  at  Albany,  New  York. 

Mr.  Palmer  has   been  twice   married,  his  first  wife  being  Jane  Tucker, 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  675 

and  after  her  death  he  wedded  Clarissa  Demorest.  Politically  he  is  an  ardent 
Republican,  and  socially  is  an  honored  member  of  Cromwell  Post,  No.  466, 
G.  A.  R.,  of  White  Plains;  Mount  Kisco  Lodge,  No.  708,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  and 
Hebron  Lodge,  No.  229,  L  O.  O.  F.,  of  White  Plains.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
are  leading  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Armonk,  of  which 
he  is  one  of  the  trustees,  and  they  take  quite  an  active  and  prominent  part 
in  all  church  work.  His  loyalty  as  a  citizen  and  his  devotion  to  his  coun- 
try's interests  have  ever  been  among  his  marked  characteristics,  and  the  com- 
munity is  fortunate  that  numbers  him  among  its  citizens. 


LOCKWOOD  REYNOLDS. 


Lockwood  Reynolds,  of  Croton  Lake,  Somers  township,  Westchester 
county,  New  York,  was  born  on  the  old  homestead,  January  15,  1854,  and  is 
of  Puritan  stock,  tracing  his  ancestry  back  to  their  arrival  in  this  country  on 
the  Mayflower.  His  immediate  progenitors  were  Lockwood  Reynolds,  Sr. , 
his  father,  and  James  Reynolds,  his  grandfather.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
this  county,  born  in  Salem,  October  14,  1804,  and  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
seven  years,  November  3,  1881.  His  wife,  Hester  Ann,  nee  Baker,  was  born 
in  Somers,  this  county,  August  31,  1807,  and  died  August  23,  1886.  They 
both  passed  away  on  the  old  homestead  farm. 

Lockwood  Reynolds,  of  this  sketch,  grew  to  manhood  on  this  farm,  and 
attended  the  public  schools.  October  24,  1871,  he  was  united  in  wedlock,  to 
Miss  Mariah  Dunscomb,  a  native  of  Flushing,  Long  Island,  and  a  student  in 
Bedford  Academy.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Garrett  and  Catherine  K.  (Brooks) 
Dunscomb  and  a  granddaughter  of  Edward  and  Mary  (Abell)  Dunscomb,  of 
England.  Garrett  and  Catherine  Dunscomb  were  residents  of  Croton  Lake, 
where  he  was  an  iron  merchant  and  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-two  years,  June 
23,  1869.  His  wife  died  August  14,  1852,  at  the  age  of  thirty  years.  He 
was  a  Republican  in  his  political  affiliations.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reynolds 
have  been  born  five  children,  as  follows:  Elizabeth  D.,  who  lives  with  her 
parents;  Josephine  M.,  the  wife  of  Edward  B.  Rear;  Melville,  Florence  A. 
and  Charles  H.  The  family  are  communicants  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  while  in  politics  Mr.  Reynolds  is  a  Republican. 


DAVID  J.  ROBERTS,  M.  D. 

The  gentleman  to  whose  life  history  we  call  attention  at  this  point  in 
this  series  of  biographical  sketches,  Dr.  David  J.  Roberts,  of  New  Rochelle, 
is  a  good  representative  of  the  medical  profession  in  the  "  Empire  state." 

Dr.  Roberts  is  a  native  of  New  York,  born  in  Waterville,  Oneida  county. 


676  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

October  4,  1856,  in  which  county  his  father  and  mother,  Thomas  and  Sarah 
(Jones)  Roberts,  were  born.  The  Roberts  family  trace  their  origin  to 
England.  Several  generations,  however,  have  been  residents  of  America. 
Thomas  Roberts,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  for  many  years  a  miller  at 
Waterville.  On  his  mother's  side  Dr.  Roberts  is  of  Welsh  descent  and  his 
mother  was  a  daughter  of  Elias  Jones. 

In  his  native  town  Dr.  Roberts  spent  his  youthful  days  and  received 
his  early  education  in  its  public  schools,  completing  his  studies  in  the 
Waterville  Academy  in  1876  and  graduating.  Choosing  the  medical  pro- 
fession for  his  life  work,  he  entered  upon  his  studies  for  the  same  in  the 
office  of  Dr.  W.W.  Blackner,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and  subsequeatly  be- 
came a  student  in  the  New  York  Homeopathic  Hospital  College,  at  which 
institution  he  graduated  with  the  class  of  1886.  Afterward  he  spent  one  year 
in  Ward's  Island  Hospital,  where  he  still  further  prepared  himself  for  his 
professional  duties.  At  the  end  of  that  year  he  engaged  in  a  general  practice 
in  New  York  city,  but  remained  there  only  a  short  time  and  in  1887  came  to 
New  Rochelle,  where  he  has  since  conducted  a  successful  practice,  his  genial, 
sympathetic  manner  together  with  his  skill  as  a  physician  having  brought 
him  into  favor  with  all  who  have  required  his  services,  and  he  has  the  confi- 
dence and  respect  of  all  who  know  him. 

Dr.  Roberts  is  identified  with  numerous  fraternal  organizations,  and  is 
a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homeopathy;  New  York  State  Society, 
of  which  in  1897  he  was  vice-president;  the  Westchester  County  Medical 
Society,  of  which  he  was  president  in  1897;  New  York  Pathological  Society; 
National  Society  of  Therapeutics;  Hahnemannian,  of  which  he  is  vice-presi- 
dent; president  of  the  Chiron  Club  of  Physicians;  and  the  Metropolitan  Hos- 
pital Alumni  Association,  of  which  he  is  treasurer. 


JOHN    F.   HUNTER,   M.   D. 

Dr.  John  F.  Hunter,  the  leading  physician  of  Mamaroneck,  was  born 
March  16,  1865,  in  this  village.  His  father,  Francis  Hunter,  is  a  native  of 
France,  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  army  of  that  country,  and  came  to  America 
when  a  young  man,  settling  in  New  Rochelle,  New  York,  and  later  here  at 
Mamaroneck,  where  he  died  May  30,  1898.  He  married  Catharine  Mulli- 
gan, who  is  a  native  of  county  Monaghan,  Ireland,  and  is  now  sixty-three 
years  of  age. 

Dr.  Hunter,  their  only  child,  grew  up  and  was  educated  in  his  native 
village,  attending  the  public  schools  and  St.  John's  College,  at  Fordham, 
New  York.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  was  matriculated  at  the  Bellevue 
Hospital  Medical  College,  in  New  York  city,  made  himself  conscientiously 


'T'/ .^^'t^C^<,ycZZ^^ 


»      ' 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  677 

thorough  in  the  prescribed  three-years  curriculum  of  the  institution,  and 
graduated  in  1889.  Added  to  this,  he  also  studied  for  two  years  in  the 
Northwestern  Dispensary,  and  was  assistant  surgeon  under  Dr.  George 
Thompson,  professor  of  diseases  of  women,  and  an  eminent  practitioner  of 
general  surgery.  Then  he  opened  an  office  in  New  York  city  and  zealously 
followed  his  profession  for  two  years,  enjoying  a  splendid  practice.  Over- 
work, however,  brought  upon  him  a  weakened  condition,  which  compelled 
him  to  leave  the  city,  in  1891,  when  he  chose  Mamaroneck  for  his  new  and 
more  healthful  residence,  and  since  then  he  has  been  engaged  in  continuous 
practice,  in  partnership  with  Dr.  Joseph  Hoffman  until  his  death,  June 
20,   1892. 

In  politics  the  Doctor  is  a  stanch  and  active  Democrat,  both  in  town  and 
county,  but  has  never  been  willing  to  accept  office.  He  is  a  member  of 
Apawamos  Lodge,  No.  800,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  of  Golden  Cross  Lodge,  L  O.  O.  F., 
and  of  the  orders  of  Red  Men  and  Foresters;  and  in  religion  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Catholic  church.  This  large-hearted,  broad-minded,  genial  and  whole- 
souled  man  is  very  popular,  and,  we  repeat,  the  leading  physician  of 
Mamaroneck. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Madeline  Baron,  of  New  York,  and 
they  have  one  daughter,  whom  they  have  named  Jessie. 


CHARLES  E.  HARTSHORN. 

One  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  Yonkers  for  the  past  eight  years  has 
been  the  gentleman  whose  name  forms  the  heading  of  this  biography.  He 
built  and  owns  a  handsome  residence  at  Belvidere  place,  it  having  been  con- 
structed after  plans  drawn  up  by  himself.  He  is  a  Republican  and  takes  an 
aggressive  part  in  local  affairs,  especially  in  such  as  pertain  to  the  improve- 
ment of  his  own  section  of  the  city.  Many  important  changes  for  the  better 
in  the  condition  of  streets,  sewers,  etc.,  have  been  made  through  the  persist- 
ent efforts  of  Mr.  Hartshorn  and  a  few  other  leading  citizens,  banded 
together  under  the  name  of  the  Yonkers  Improvement  Association,  which 
society  was  founded  largely  through  his  influence.  At  the  same  time  he  is 
chairman  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  South  Yonkers  Improvement 
Association.  Always  a  worker  in  the  party  of  his  choice,  he  has  often  been 
sent  as  a  delegate  to  various  nominating  committees,  and  at  present  he  is  a 
member  of  the  executive  committee  of  his  ward. 

Charles  Edward  Hartshorn,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Ulster  county.  New  York, 
August  12,  18 1 7.  For  over  thirty  years  he  was  extensively  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  various  appliances  and  supplies  for  lire  departments,  includ- 
ing engines,  trucks,  ladders,   etc.     He  is  the   inventor  and  patentee  of  the 


678  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

extension  ladder,  with  endless  chain,  now  in  use  in  all  civilized  countries  in 
the  world.  Many  other  devices  which  have  been  in  general  use  for  years  in 
the  fire  departments  of  cities,  here  and  abroad,  were  patented  by  him,  and 
for  a  long  period  he  supplied  New  York  city  with  all  of  its  equipment  in  this 
line.  The  Hartshorn  horse  truck,  which  supplanted  the  old-style  hand 
truck,  was  also  his  idea.  His  place  of  business  was  at  1 19-12 1  Walker 
street,  New  York  city.  Formerly  he  was  an  active  Democratic  partisan,  but 
though  he  was  often  urged  to  accept  public  ofBce  he  persistently  refused 
such  honor.  He  was  solicited  to  become  a  candidate  for  alderman,  and  just 
prior  to  the  election  of  the  mayor  he  was  tendered  the  candidacy  for  the 
legislature,  and,  as  usual,  he  refused  both.  For  years  an  active  Odd  Fellow, 
he  lived  to  be  the  oldest  living  past  master  of  Manhattan  Lodge,  No.  62. 
This  lodge,  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  state  of  New  York,  was  organized  in 
1824.  A  member  of  the  Knights  of  St.  John,  he  had  the  honor  of  wearing 
the  Red  Chapter  colors  of  that  order.  After  1873  he  was  retired  from  active 
business,  and  until  a  short  time  before  his  death,  when  his  daughter  was 
married,  he  resided  in  Brooklyn,  and  after  that  he  lived  with  her  in  Peekskill, 
New  York.  In  religious  work,  as  in  everything  in  which  he  was  interested, 
he  was  very  prominent  and  zealous.  For  years  he  was  identified  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  occupied  about  all  the  official  positions  of 
the  local  society.  He  married,  in  1845,  Mary  Jane  Munday,  and  in  1895 
they  celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anniversary.  Of  their  ten  children  all 
but  the  eldest-born,  Mary  Elizabeth,  who  died  in  infancy,  lived  to  mature 
years.  Emma  is  the  wife  of  Matthew  J.  Le  Fever,  a  wholesale  meat  dealer 
in  Peekskill;  William  A.,  deceased,  was  connected  with  the  Park  National 
Bank  of  New  York  city;  Samuel  L.,  deceased,  was  employed  in  the  Sixth 
National  Bank  in  the  same  city;  Katie  I.,  whose  death  occurred  in  1895, 
was  the  wife  of  Oran  J.  Lederer,  of  Peekskill;  Frank  O.  is  the  proprietor  of 
Washington  Market  in  Yonkers;  Anna  is  the  wife  of  William  H.  Ingham,  of 
this  city,  who  is  employed  by  a  large  piano  house  of  New  York  city;  David 
O.  is  the  next  in  order  of  birth,  and  Ida  is  the  wife  of  Stephen  A.  Peene,  of 
the  Yonkers  Steam  Laundry. 

Charles  Edward  Hartshorn,  Jr.,  was  born  December  i,  1846,  in  New 
York  city,  and  until  he  was  sixteen  years  old  he  attended  the  public  schools 
and  academies  of  that  place.  He  was  in  business  with  his  father  until  1872, 
when  he  opened  a  dry-goods  and  house-furnishing  establishment  at  Nos.  250 
and  252  Carroll  street.  Here  he  made  a  specialty  of  equipping  institutions 
with  beds  and  bedding,  clothing,  etc.,  and  continued  in  this  line  for  some 
three  or  four  years,  after  which  he  commenced  importing  needles  and 
scissors,  notions,  etc.,  and  gave  his  attention  to  this  branch  of  business  for 
nine  or  ten  years.      Since  that  he  has  been  occupied  as  before,  in  the  furnish- 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  679 

ing  of  supplies  to  institutions  of  various  kinds,  and  in  the  taking  of  contracts 
for  the  repair  and  construction  of  public  buildings.  His  business  is  not 
merely  local,  but  has  often  extended  into  adjacent  counties.  In  addition  to 
his  regular  line  he  has  been  awarded  contracts  for  furnishing  supplies  to  the 
navy,  and  has  met  with  marked  success  in  his  enterprises.  He  is  a  member 
of  Manhattan  Lodge,  of  New  York  city,  the  one  with  which  his  father  has 
been  so  long  associated,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Lowerre  Hose  Company 
of  Yonkers.      Religiously,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church. 

The  marriage  of  C.  E.  Hartshorn,  Jr.,  and  Miss  Harriet  E.  Smith,  of 
New  York  city,  was  solemnized  on  the  i6th  of  October,  1872.  Mrs.  Harts- 
horn's father,  Jeremiah  H.  Smith,  was  engaged  in  the  crockery  and  queens- 
ware  business  in  the  metropolis  for  a  number  of  years.  The  only  child  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hartshorn  is  Prescott  Barker,  a  traveling  salesman  and  a  most 
exemplary  young  man  in  every  respect.  Judging  by  what  he  has  already 
achieved  his  future  is  one  of  great  promise,  and  his  parents  have  just  occa- 
sion to  be  proud  of  him. 

CHARLES  HENRY    HEINSOHN. 

A  very  energetic  and  successful  business  man  and  a  patriotic  citizen  is 
the  subject  of  this  record,  he  being  a  resident  of  Mount  Vernon,  Westches- 
ter county.  For  seventeen  years  he  has  been  a  trusted  employee  of  the 
Carroll  Box  &  Lumber  Company,  one  of  the  largest  lumber  concerns  and  ex- 
porters of  greater  New  York,  rising  from  a  position  as  office-boy  to  a  place 
which  is  as  responsible  as  any  in  the  business.  Since  October,  1891,  he  has 
been  connected  with  the  Mount  Vernon  fire  department,  of  which,  in  July, 
1898,  he  was  appointed  chief.  His  first  service  was  for  the  Washington 
Engine  Company,  with  which  he  continued  for  several  years,  being  its  sec- 
retary for  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which  period  he  was  elected  to  the  posi- 
tion of  second  assistant  chief  of  the  city  fire  department.  Subsequently,  the 
Fire  Commissioners  appointed  him  to  the  place  of  first  assistant  chief,  and 
his  next  promotion  was  to  the  responsible  office  he  now  holds,  with  great 
credit.  The  department,  which  is  one  of  volunteers,  comprises  two  hundred 
and  eighty  members,  divided  into  nine  companies.  They  have  one  steam 
engine,  two  hand  engines  and  all  the  latest  equipments  in  general  commonly 
employed.  The  Mount  Vernon  fire  department  is  the  best  volunteer  depart- 
ment in  the  state.  A  large  share  of  praise  is  accorded  Chief  Heinsohn  for 
the  energetic,  practical  methods  he  employs  and  advocates,  and  his  devotion 
to  his  duties,  which  are  not  light.  The  state  reports  show  that  the  fire  losses 
of  this  town  within  recent  years  has  been  but  eight  per  cent,  of  the  value  of 
property  involved,  which  speaks  well  for  the  efficiency  of  our  volunteer  fire 
department  and  its  able  officers. 


680  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

The  Heinsohns  are  primarily  [rom  Hanover,  Germany,  but  the  father  of 
our  subject,  Carsten  Henry  Heinsohn,  was  born  in  Hanover  and  came  to  this 
country  from  London  when  a  lad  of  twelve  years.  He  became  a  resident  of 
New  York  city  and  for  eight  or  ten  years  was  engaged  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness at  the  corner  of  Thirty-seventh  street  and  Eighth  avenue.  Later  he 
embarked  in  the  confectionery  trade,  but  during  his  last  years  he  was  retired 
and  lived  in  Hoboken,  New  Jersey.  His  death  occurred  December  5,  1874, 
when  he  was  fifty-eight  years  of  age.  His  widow,  whose  girlhood  name  was 
Christina  Beck,  is  still  living.  Mr.  Heinsohn  was  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  in  religion  was  a  Lutheran.  In  his  family  were  two  daughters, — Mrs.  J. 
B.  Lotz  and  Mrs.  William  Schmidt.  The  latter  is  the  wife  of  the  president 
of  the  Stock  Brewery  of  San  Francisco,  and  one  of  their  sons  married  a 
daughter  of  Senator  Perkins,  of  California.  William,  the  eldest  son  of  C. 
H.  Heinsohn,  Sr. ,  is  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  Richard,  in  the  hard- 
ware business  in  Mount  Vernon,  the  firm  being  known  as  that  of  Heinsohn 
Brothers. 

The  birth  of  Charles  H.  Heinsohn  took  place  in  New  York  city,  July 
22,  1863.  He  graduated  from  the  public  schools  of  the  metropolis  in  1877, 
and  for  the  following  three  years  was  employed  in  a  jewelry-manufacturing 
business.  He  then  studied  law  for  one  year,  under  Henry  W.  Gould,  sec- 
retary of  the  Richmond  Land  Company,  and  in  1881  entered  the  employ  of 
the  Carroll  Box  &  Lumber  Company,  with  whom  he  has  since  continued, 
working  upward  by  rapid  promotions,  from  errand  boy  to  tally  clerk,  shipping 
clerk  (in  which  capacity  he  served  for  eight  years),  superintendent  of  the 
yards  and  outside  salesman  and  superintendent.  At  no  time  did  he  ever  re- 
quest a  better  position  or  an  increase  in  salary,  but  his  genuine  worth  to  the 
firm  and  his  manifest  ability  brought  their  reward  in  the  esteem  of  the  com- 
pany and  in  material  recognition  thereof.  Among  his  other  financial  inter- 
ests, he  is  a  member  of  -the  New  York  &  Suburban  Building  &  Loan  Associa- 
tion. 

In  fraternal  circles  Mr.  Heinsohn  is  deservedly  popular.  He  is  fond  of 
athletics,  particularly  of  bowHng,  at  which  he  is  an  expert.  He  belongs  to 
various  local  clubs  and  is  connected  with  the  Hiawatha  Lodge  of  the  F.  & 
A.  M. ;  Zetland  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ,  and  Exempt  Firemen's  Association,  of 
New  York,  etc.  Politically,  he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  as  was  his  father  be- 
fore him. 

JOHN  EMBREE. 
One  of  the  old  families  of  Westchester  county  is  represented  by  the  gen- 
tleman whose  name  heads  this  sketch.      His  grandfather  Embree  came  here 
from  England  at  an  early  period  and  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  this 


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WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  631 

county  as  long  as  he  lived.  Of  his  three  sons,  Lewis,  John  and  Samuel,  the 
latter,  born  at  West  Farms,  Westchester  county,  was  the  father  of  John 
Embree,  of  whom  we  write.  He  was  a  life-long  farmer,  and  for  years  owned 
a  valuable  homestead  comprising  one  hundred  acres,  it  being  situated,  in 
part,  within  the  present  limits  of  the  city  of  Yonkers,  in  the  seventh  ward. 
During  the  war  of  1812  he  was  called  into  service  and  was  ready  for  action 
whenever  he  should  be  required.  He  was  a  Whig,  politically,  and  in  religious 
faith  was  an  Episcopalian.  Death  came  to  him  as  the  result  of  falling  from 
a  wagon,  his  injuries  being  severe  and  terminating  fatally.  The  death  of  his 
wife,  whose>  maiden  name  was  Catherine  Garrison,  took  place  when  she  was 
in  her  sixty-first  year.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  namely: 
Stephen,  James,  Mary  Blount,  Isaac,  John,  Robert,  William,  Emmanuel, 
Elizabeth  Leeds  and  Susan  Reed. 

John  Embree  was  born  in  Yonkers,  November  6,  1821,  and  attended  the 
district  schools  of  this  city.  Having  gained  a  liberal  education,  he  devoted 
his  time  to  farming  and  remained  with  his  father  until  he  was  twenty-eight 
years  of  age.  Then  entering  a  different  line  of  business  entirely,  he  built 
Main,  Orchard,  Washington  and  many  other  important  streets  in  Yonkers, 
and  up  to  1870  was  associated  with  his  brother  Robert  as  a  partner.  From 
the  year  mentioned  until  some  time  in  1 871,  he  was  again  occupied 
in  agricultural  pursuits  at  Yorktown,  Westchester  county,  after  which  he 
established  his  present  grocery.  He  bought  and  built  his  present  store  prop- 
erty and  has  since  successfully  conducted  a  grocery  business,  in  which  his  son 
Ethelbert  B.  is  now  associated  with  him.  Also,  for  fifteen  years  he  has  been 
a  director  of  the  People's  Savings  Bank  of  Yonkers.  By  excellent  practical 
methods  and  general  reliability  he  has  won  the  confidence  of  all  who  know 
him,  and  his  warmest  friends  are  numbered  among  his  customers  of  years' 
standing.  Formerly  he  was  identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  but  he  is 
now  somewhat  independent  of  party  lines,  choosing  to  give  his  allegiance  to 
the  men  and  platform  which  most  nearly  express  his  views  at  the  time  of 
election.  Religiously,  he  is  a  consistent  Christian,  a  member  of  the  First 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Yonkers. 

On  the  6th  of  November,  1848,  Mr.  Embree  married  Miss  Sarah  Roake, 
a  daughter  of  Joseph  Roake,  who  was  a  farmer  and  carpenter  of  Yorktown, 
Westchester  county,  and  who  is  still  living,  being  now  in  the  ninety-third  year 
of  his  age.  The  three  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Embree  are  Joseph  R.,  who 
is  carrying  on  a  successful  livery  business  in  this  city;  Ethelbert  B.,  who  is  in 
the  grocery  business  with  his  father;  and  Kate  L. ,  wife  of  William  B.  Lull,  a 
jeweler  in  New  York  city,  but  whose  home  is  in  Yonkers.  Mrs.  Embree  is 
now  sixty-seven  years  of  age,  and,  with  her  husband,  is  entering  upon  a  peace- 


682  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

ful,  contented  old  age,  blessed  in  the  thought  of  the  good  that  has  been 
accomplished  through  their  united,  unostentatious  efforts  to  benefit  and  help 
their  fellow-men. 

JAMES  SLADE. 

A  representative  citizen  and  leading  business  man  of  Yonkers  for  a 
period  of  nearly  forty  years  is  James  Slade,  superintendent  of  the  Yonkers 
Gas  Company,  one  of  the  largest  and  most  flourishing  concerns  of  the  kind 
in  the  state  of  New  York.  He  is  also  extensively  interested  in  .real  estate, — 
business  and  residence  property, — and  has  done  much  toward  the  upbuilding 
and  beautifying  of  the  city. 

Born  December  22,  1836,  James  Slade  is  a  son  of  George  and  Catherine 
(Vincent)  Slade.  Bath,  Somersetshire,  England,  was  the  place  of  his  birth, 
and  in  that  section  of  the  British  isles  several  generations  of  his  ancestors 
resided.  George  Slade,  whose  occupation  in  life  was  that  of  a  forester  and 
sawyer,  lived  and  died  in  Somersetshire,  as  did  also  his  father,  Jesse  Slade. 
To  the  union  of  our  subject's  parents  six  children  were  born,  namely:  George, 
Elizabeth,  Eliza,  James,  Stephen  and  Edward.  The  father  died  at  the  age 
of  forty-four  years,  and  the  mother  lived  to  attain  her  sixty-fifth  year.  Three 
of  the  sons  and  one  daughter  came  to  the  United  States. 

Having  completed  his  common-school  education,  James  Slade  took  a 
position  as  a  clerk  in  a  store,  and  in  1855  came  to  this  country.  After 
clerking  for  three  years  in  the  city  of  New  York,  he  removed  to  Lynchburg, 
Virginia,  and  finally,  in  i860,  he  became  a  permanent  resident  of  Yonkers, 
and  the  same  year  witnessed  his  first  connection  with  the  Yonkers  Gas  Com- 
pany. The  output  of  the  gas  plant  at  that  time  was  from  thirty  to  thirty- 
five  thousand  cubic  feet  a  day,  whereas,  at  present  nine  hundred  thousand 
feet  a  day  are  produced.  Employment  is  given  to  a  large  number  of  men, 
frequently  being  over  one  hundred  at  one  time.  Business  is  rapidly  increas- 
ing, and  gas  is  being  used  more  and  more  for  fuel,  on  account  of  its  conven- 
ience and  cheapness,  it  being  furnished  to  the  consumer  at  one  dollar  and 
thirty-five  cents  a  thousand  feet,  while  formerly  the  rate  paid  was  five  dollars 
and  seventy-five  cents  a  thousand.  The  gas  plant  is  modern  and  well  equipped 
in  every  particular  and  is  valued  at  one  million  and  a  quarter  of  dollars. 
The  company  has  absorbed  three  other  competing  ones, — the  Westchester 
Gas  Company,  the  Municipal  Gas  Company,  and  the  Strong  Fuel  Gas  Com- 
pany, and  continues  to  use  their  holders.  The  company  supplies  Spuyten 
Duyvil,  Mount  St.  Vincent,  Kingsbridge,  Woodlawn,  Riverdale,  Yonkers, 
and  points  as  far  north  as  Hastings.  For  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  Mr.  Slade 
has  been  one  of  the  directors  in  the  gas  company,  being  among  the  longest 
on  the  board,  in  fact,  having  served  longer  than   all  save  one,  Robert  P. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  683 

Getty.  The  other  directors  are  WilHam  Warburton  Scrugham,  president, 
Harold  Brown,  Henry  K.  Bangs,  Alfred  Jones,  William  Robinson,  Alexander 
Smith  Cochran,  and  Samuel  D.  Babcock.  The  offices  of  the  company  are 
at  the  corner  of  Wells  street  and  North  Broadway. 

To  the  excellent  business  management  and  careful  personal  supervision 
of  James  Slade  much  of  the  success  which  the  Yonkers  Gas  Company  enjoys 
must  be  attributed.  He  is  an  able  financier  and  has  made  investments,  on 
his  own  account,  in  real  estate,  tenements,  business  property  and  residences 
in  this  city  and  elsewhere,  and  with  few  exceptions  he  has  made  a  distinct 
success  of  his  undertakings.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Hon- 
or. Politically  he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  in  local  affairs  votes  for  the 
man  whom  he  considers  best  qualified  for  any  office.  In  religious  faith  he  is 
an  Episcopalian,  but  he  attends  the  Baptist  church. 

In  1864  Mr.  Slade  married  Miss  Mary  Nolan,  and  they  have  four  sons, 
of  whom  they  have  reason  to  be  proud.  Richmond  E.  is  superintendent  of 
the  Gas  &  Electric  Company  at  White  Plains,  New  York.  He  is  a  graduate 
of  Columbia  College,  married  a  Miss  Wiggins  and  has  two  children.  Clif- 
ford L. ,  the  second  son,  is  superintendent  of  the  gas  and  electric  light  plant 
at  Port  Chester,  New  York.  Foster  C,  a  graduate  of  Cornell  College,  and 
a  mechanical  engineer,  now  in  the  employ  of  James  R.  Floyd's  Sons,  mechan- 
ical engineers  and  contractors,  of  New  York  city.  Harvey  is  now  attending 
Columbia  College,  is  in  the  school  of  arts,  and  is  a  member  of  the  class  of 
1899-  

JAMES  BROWN  ODELL. 

Thirty  years  ago  this  well  and  favorably  known  merchant  of  Yonkers 
embarked  in  the  grocery  business  here,  and  during  this  period  the  volume  of 
his  trade  has  increased  until  it  is  now  equaled  by  few  houses  in  this  line  in 
Westchester  county.  Industry  and  strict  attention  to  business  rarely  fail  to 
bring  success  in  some  degree,  but  additional  qualities,  almost  amounting  to 
genius,  seem  essential  to  great  prosperity,  and  certainly  Mr.  Odell  possesses 
marked  ability  as  a  financier.  While  he  has  devoted  his  time  and  energies 
to  the  building  up  and  management  of  his  large  business,  he  has  never  failed 
in  his  duties  as  a  citizen.  During  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  he  served  in  the 
Union  army  as  a  member  of  Company  H,  Seventeenth  New  York  militia. 
Politically  he  supports  the  Republican  platform,  and  is  quite  active  in  the 
advancement  of  the  interests  of  his  party.  In  Grand  Army  circles  he  is  well 
known  and  deservedly  popular,  his  membership  having  been  with  Fremont 
Post,  No.  590. 

The  Odells  are  old  and  honored  residents  of  Westchester  county. 
Joshua  Odell,  the  great-great-grandfather  of  James  B.  Odell,  of  this  sketch,. 


€84  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

was  born  November  4,  1707,  and  his  wife,  Sarah,  was  born  August  2,  1713. 
Their  son,  born  May  2,  1733,  was  christened  Joshua.      His  home  was  on  a 
farm  now  comprised  in  Mount  Hope  cemetery,  then  called  the  Odell  farm,  and 
there  he  resided  until  death.     He  married  Mary  Vincent  and  their  children  were 
John,  Abraham,  Joseph,  James,  Isaac,  Daniel,  SarahTuttle,  and  Abigail  Under- 
bill.    The  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  later  espoused 
the  principles  of  the  old  Democratic  party.      His  son  James,  the  grandfather 
of  our  subject,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Greenburg,  on  the   ancestral  home- 
stead (Mount  Hope  cemetery)  December  13,  1775.      Following  in  the  foot- 
steps of  his  patriotic  father,  he  tendered  his  services  in  the  second  war  with 
Great  Britain,  and  was  for  a  short  time  in  the  American  army,  as  a  private. 
He  owned  a  small  farm  in  the  town  of  Greenburg,  and  was  a  weaver  by 
trade.      In  1809  he  built  a  house   for  his  family  upon  his  property,  which 
■domicile  is  still  standing,  and,  at  the  end  of  the  ninety  years  intervening,  is 
in  a  fair  state  of  preservation.      Mr.  Odell  was  not  only  a  farmer  but   was 
also  a  weaver  of  cloth  and  blankets,  and    was  quite   skillful   in  that   trade. 
Very  active  in  religious  enterprise,  he  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  church  of  Dobbs  Ferry.     For  his  wife  he  chose  Elizabeth  Odell, 
who,  though  having  the  same  surname,   came  from   another  branch  of  the 
family.     Their  children  were  as  follows:     Mary  McKenny,  born  August  23, 
1800;  Isaac,  October  28,  1802;  Daniel,  August  21,  1804;  Ann  Foster,  March 
16,  1807;  Benjamin,   February  26,    1809;  Lawrence,  June  20,  1812;  Eliza, 
-August  7,  1814;  Susan  Wood,  December  12,  1816;  Jane,  November  26,  1819; 
Caroline  Keeler,  August  24,    1822;  and  Harriet  A.   Keeler,  July    13,  1827. 
Eliza  died  unmarried,  and  of  the  entire  family  only  Mrs.  Jane  Wilsea  survives. 
The  parents  of  James  B.  Odell  were  Isaac   and  Bertha  (Corwin)  Odell, 
the  former  a  native  of  the  town  of  Greenburg,  this  county,  and  the  latter  of 
Long  Island.     The  father  was  born  October  28,  1802,  and  spent  his  whole 
Jife  in  the  vicinity  of  his  birthplace.      He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  was 
-quite  successful  as  a  business  man.      He  was  summoned  to  the  silent  land  in 
1842,  when  just  at  the  prime  of  life,  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Dobbs 
Ferry.      In  religious  creed  he  was  a  Presbyterian,  as  was  his  father  before 
him,  and  in  political  faith  he,  too,  was  a   Democrat.     His   widow  survived 
-him  for  more  than  half  a  century,  her  demise  occurring  in  1895,  when  she 
was  in  her  eighty-third  year.     Their  five  children  were  Mary  A. ;  James  B. ; 
John  F.,  deceased;  WiUiam  H.;  and  Caroline,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eight 
years.       Mary    A.    is  the   wife    of  Leonard    W.     Elliott,    for    thirty   years 
a   member    of   the    New   York  police   force,   and  now  retired    and    a   resi- 
dent  of   Yonkers.     William    H. ,  also  a  citizen  of  this  place,   is    an  expert 
mechanical  engineer,   and   is  a  member  of   the  American  Society   of   Civil 
Engineers. 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  685- 

James  Brown  Odell  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  the  town  of 
Greenburg,  and  served  an  apprenticeship  to  the  carpenter's  trade,  which 
calling  he  followed  for  about  ten  years.  Then  for  three  years  he  operated  an 
engine  in  a  machine  shop,  and  in  1868,  in  company  with  Henry  B.  Jones,  he 
started  in  the  grocery  business  in  Yonkers.  At  the  expiration  of  four  years 
Mr.  Odell  purchased  his  partner's  interest  in  the  business,  and  soon  after- 
ward became  associated  with  John  J.  Littebrandt,  formerly  one  of  his  clerks. 
The  firm  have  ever  since  carried  on  the  business  under  the  style  of  Odell  & 
Littebrandt.  They  now  employ  seven  clerks  and  keep  constantly  in  requi- 
sition five  delivery  wagons.  From  small  proportions  their  trade,  exclusively 
retail  in  character,  has  grown  until  the  annual  transactions  have  reached  an 
average  aggregate  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Odell  is  a  member 
of  the  Yonkers  board  of  trade  and  is  the  executor  of  the  Barnes  estate,  the 
property  of  the  late  Reuben  Barnes,  father  of  his  wife.  For  a  score  of  years 
he  has  been  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of 
Yonkers,  and  has  long  held  membership  in  this  congregation. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Odell  was  solemnized  November  5,  1859,  when 
Mary  A.,  daughter  of  Leander  Hodges,  became  his  bride.  She  died  May  19, 
1864,  aged  twenty-four  years.  They  became  the  parents  of  two  children, — 
George  F.,  to  whom  individual  reference  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  work;, 
and  Ada  King,  who  died  May  2,  1864,  aged  two  and  one-half  years.  Mrs. 
Odell's  maternal  grandfather,  Stephen  Battison,  was  born  in  1740,  and 
resided  at  Georgetown,  Connecticut.  He  was  aide-de-camp  on  the  staff  of 
a  general  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  His  wife  lived  to  attain' 
remarkable  longevity,  her  death  occurring  when  she  had  reached  the 
venerable  age  of  ninety-nine  years.  Leander  Hodges  was  born  in  George- 
town, Connecticut,  and  came  to  Yonkers  in  the  '40s.  Here  he  became  quite 
influential  and  prominent  in  business,  political  and  church  circles.  For  some 
time  he  represented  the  second  ward  as  alderman  in  the  city  council.  Very 
zealous  and  devoted  in  the  cause  of  religion,  he  was  prominently  identified 
with  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  this  city,  and,  having  prepared" 
himself  for  the  ministry,  he  was  enabled  to  wield  a  distinct  and  valuable 
influence  as  a  local  preacher  and  exhorter.  He  married  Sarah  Burt  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  two  children, — Mary  A.,  who  became  the  wife  of  Mr. 
Odell,  and  George  J. 

On  the  i8th  of  October,  1870,  James  B.  Odell  consummated  a  second 
marriage,  being  then  united  to  Miss  Martha  Barnes,  daughter  of  Reuben  and 
Mary  (Hodge)  Barnes,  of  Yonkers.  Her  father  was  one  of  the  honored  and 
prominent  citizens  of  Yonkers  for  many  years,  having  located  here  in  1852. 
To  him  and  his  wife  more  detailed  consideration  is  given  on  other  pages  of 
this  compilation.      Mrs.  Odell  entered  into  eternal  rest  on  the  21st  of  June,. 


6S6  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

1894,  leaving  two  daughters, — Gertrude  Wilhelmina,  who  was  a  successful 
teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Yonkers,  and  who  was  married  April  20, 
1899,  to  Mr.  B.  Eugene  Sperry,  of  Ridgefield,  Connecticut;  and  Mary  L., 
who  still  remains  at  the  paternal  home,  on  Hawthorne  avenue. 


CHARLES   R.   CRISFIELD. 

Among  the  representative  business  men  of  Yonkers,  New  York,  is  found 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Charles  R.  Crisfield,  who  dates  his  birth  at  this 
place  December  7,  1840,  and  is  a  son  of  English  parents,  John  and  Martha 
(Beale)  Crisfield. 

About  1830  John  Crisfield,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  two  children, 
emigrated  to  this  country,  making  the  voyage  in  a  sailing  vessel  and  being 
seven  weeks  on  the  sea.  Landing  in  New  York  city,  he  took  up  his  abode 
there  and  began  life  in  the  New  World  as  a  dry-goods  peddler.  Later  he 
opened  a  store  in  New  York  and  in  connection  with  it  ran  a  wagon,  selling 
goods  throughout  the  adjacent  part  of  Westchester  county.  His  location 
was  first  on  Canal  street  and  later  in  Harlem,  and  at  length  he  came  to  Yonk- 
ers and  engaged  in  the  hotel  business,  opening  the  Squangum  House  on 
North  Broadway,  where  William  Welsh's  store  is  now  situated.  He  was 
subsequently  engaged  in  the  dry-goods  business  at  Saugerties,  New  York, 
and  later  he  returned  to  Yonkers,  and  on  a  tract  of  twenty-three  acres, 
which  he  had  previously  purchased,  opposite  Caryl  station,  for  one  thousand 
dollars,  he  built  a  residence.  The  taxes  upon  this  property  at  that  time 
were  only  four  dollars  and  eighty  cents.  Afterward  he  sold  thirteen  acres  to 
Mr.  St.  Vincent,  for  seven  hundred  dollars  per  acre,  and  in  1898  the  heirs 
disposed  of  the  remainder  of  the  property,  ten  acres,  for  sixty  thousand  dol- 
lars; and,  as  showing  the  increase  in  the  valuation  of  this  property,  it  may 
be  stated  that  that  year  the  taxes  were  six  hundred  dollars.  After  his  return 
to  Yonkers,  Mr.  Crisfield  engaged  in  the  grocery  business,  opposite  the  Man- 
sion House,  and  next  to  St.  Joseph's  Hospital,  where  he  continued  for 
eighteen  or  twenty  years,  after  which  he  retired.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  a 
man  of  local  prominence.  For  twenty-four  years  he  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace  at  Yonkers.  A  member  of  St.  John's  Episcopal  church,  active  and 
influential,  he  served  in  various  official  capacities,  filling  the  offices  of  deacon, 
elder,  etc.  Fraternally,  he  was  identified  with  the  L  O.  O.  F.  He  died 
June  I,  1880,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years;  his  wife,  in  1879,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-six  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  namely:  John, 
deceased;  Eliza,  wife  of  Robert  Lawrence,  of  Yonkers,  deceased;  the  next 
two  in  order  of  birth  died  in  infancy;  Mary  Ann,  widow  of  Martin  B. 
Demorest,   a  carpenter  of  Nyack,  New  Jersey;  Martha  J.,  wife  of  John  J. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  687 

Banty,  a  carpenter  of  Deland,  Florida;  George  H.,  who  is  in  the  real-estate 
business  at  Yonkers,  married  Susan  Van  Tassel;  T.  W. ,  who  resides  in 
Irvington,  is  engaged  in  the  livery  business  there  and  is  clerk  of  the  town; 
Emily  V.,  wife  of  William  Read,  resides  at  Nyack,  New  Jersey;  Charles  R. , 
whose  name  graces  this  sketch;  and  Jessie,  wife  of  James  B.  Strang,  a 
retired  farmer  of  Stamford,  Connecticut. 

Charles  R.  Crisfield  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
town.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  left  school  and  began  learning  the 
butcher's  business,  working  with  his  brother  John,  with  whom  he  remained 
five  years.  After  this  he  engaged  in  business  on  his  own  account,  at  the  old 
home  place  opposite  Caryl,  where  he  remained  twelve  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time,  in  1878,  he  purchased  his  present  place  and  built  his  market, 
barn,  etc.,  and  here  he  has  since  been  successfully  engaged  in  the  butcher  busi- 
ness. Adjacent  to  his  residence  he  owns  a  number  of  lots,  sixteen  in  all 
which  have  grown  very  valuable.  His  is  one  of  the  oldest  established 
markets  in  Yonkers,  and  he  enjoys  a  large  trade  at  Riverdale  as  well  as 
Yonkers,  his  business  requiring  two  wagons. 

Mr.  Crisfield  is  independent  in  his  political  views,  and  has  never  sought 
or  held  office,  his  own  private  affairs  demanding  the  whole  of  his  time  and 
attention.  He  was  once  a  member  of  Hope  Hook  &  Ladder  Company.  He 
worships  with  the  Reformed  church,  of  which  he  is  a  consistent  member. 

Mr.  Crisfield  was  married  April  22,  1880,  to  Miss  Antoinette  Radford,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Radford,  and  they  have  five  children,  viz.:  Walter  R. , 
Richard  W. ,  Louis  R.,  Delia  and  Charles  B. 


AUGUSTUS  VAN  CORTLANDT. 

Augustus  Van  Cortlandt,  the  second  son  in  his  father's  family,  married 
for  his  first  wife  Miss  Cuyler,  and  after  her  decease  Miss  Catherine  Barclay, 
of  Santa  Cruz,  West  Indies.  His  children  were  James  Van  Cortlandt,  born 
March  3,  1736,  and  died  April  i,  1781;  Helen,  born  January  4,  1768,  and 
married  James  Morris,  of  Morrisania  (whose  son,  Augustus  Frederick  Morris, 
assumed  the  name  of  Van  Cortlandt,  and  inherited  from  his  grandfather  a 
part  of  his  estate  in  Lower  Yonkers);  and  Anna,  born  January  18,  1766,  who 
married  Henry  White,  son  of  Henry  White  and  Eva  Van  Cortlandt. 

For  many  years  prior  to  the  Revolution,  Augustus  Van  Cortlandt  was 
clerk  of  the  common  council  of  New  York  city,  and  to  his  unflinching  loyalty 
to  his  trust,  as  well  as  to  his  king,  is  due  the  preservation  of  the  city  records 
of  New  York;  for  of  his  own  motion  and  on  his  own  responsibility,  in  1775, 
he  placed  them  in  chests  in  a  vault  built  at  his  own  expense,  in  his  own 


688  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

garden,  "made,"  as  he  informed  the  provincial  congress,  "for  that  purpose 
of  stone  and  brick,  well  arched  and  exceedingly  dry,"  and  kept  them  until 
after  the  peace  of  1783.         

FREDERICK  E.  WEEKS. 

This  is  an  age  in  which  the  young  man  is  prominent,  and  the  young  man 
is  always  prominent  during  and  after  war;  and  all  things  have  combined  to 
give  him  precedence  in  America  in  these  last  years  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
Young  men  who,  hke  Frederick  E.  Weeks,  of  Tarrytown,  were  coming  to  the 
front  professionally  and  otherwise  before  the  war  began  and  gave  their  coun- 
try faithful  service  during  its  progress,  returned  to  receive  such  substantial 
reward  as  a  patriotic  people  like  to  accord  to  them  who  risk  their  lives  in 
their  defense. 

Frederick  E.  Weeks  was  born  at  Sleepy  Hollow,  Mount  Pleasant  town- 
ship, Westchester  county,  New  York,  October  4,  1870,  a  son  of  Abel  and 
Elmira  F.  (Miller)  Weeks.  His  father,  a  well-known  florist  of  Tarrytown,  is 
a  man  who  commands  the  highest  respect.  His  mother  died  in  1881. 
Abraham  Weeks,  father  of  Abel  and  grandfather  of  Frederick  E.  Weeks, 
was  in  his  day  prominent  in  this  part  of  the  state;  and  the  same  may 
be  said  of  our  subject's  maternal  grandfather,  Ira  C.  Miller.  Both  families 
are  old  in  America,  and  representatives  in  the  lines  reaching  down  to  Fred- 
erick E.  Weeks  have  lived  in  Bedford  and  Mount  Pleasant  townships  during 
many  successive  generations.  Those  by  the  name  of  Weeks  in  Westchester 
county  are  descended  from  old  Holland  stock,  while  those  by  the  name  of 
Miller  in  this  line  are  from  an  ancient  English  family.  Abel  and  Elmira  F. 
(Miller)  Weeks  had  four  children,  named  Frederick  E.,  Mary  E. ,  Charles  J. 
and  Hester  A. 

Frederick  E.  Weeks  acquired  his  primary  education  at  Poccacio  Hill 
and  Sleepy  Hollow  and  in  the  public  schools  at  New  Brighton  and  Stapleton, 
Staten  island.  He  was  graduated  at  the  North  Tarrytown  public  school  in 
1 888.  Later  he  read  law  under  the  preceptorship  of  E.  T.  Lovett,  and 
afterward  under  that  of  W.  H.  H.  Ely,  at  Tarrytown.  He  took  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Laws  from  the  New  York  University  Law  School  in  May, 
1895,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  the  same  year,  and  entered  upon  the  practice 
of  his  profession  at  Tarrytown.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Westchester  County 
Bar  Association.  In  1896  he  was  appointed  assistant  district  attorney  of 
Westchester  county  by  District  Attorney  George  C.  Andrews.  He  has  filled 
that  responsible  position  with  great  ability  since,  except  while  absent  in  the 
United  States  army  in  active  service  in  the  Cuban  war.  He  enlisted  in 
Company  C,  Seventy-first  Regiment  National  Guard  of  New  York,  October 
9,  1897,  and  was  mustered  into  the  United  States  service   as  a  corporal  in 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  689 

Company  C,  Seventy-first  Regiment,  New  York  Volunteer  Infantry.  He 
served  through  the  Cuban  campaign  with  the  Fifth  Army  Corps  and  was, 
mustered  out  of  the  service  November  15,  1898. 

He  participated  in  engagements  at  La  Guisamis  and  San  Juan,  and  m 
all  the  arduous  service  around  Santiago.  December  8,  1888,  he  was  appointed* 
by  Governor  Black,  assistant  adjutant-general  on  the  governor's  staff  of  the. 
state  of  New  York,  with  the  rank  as  lieutenant-colonel.  He  resigned  the 
office  of  assistant  district  attorney  April  29,  1898,  to  go  to  war,  and  was, 
re-appointed  to  the  same  office  by  District  Attorney  Andrews,  January  i,. 
1899. 

Mr.  Weeks  is  a  member  of  the  Society  of  the  Army  of  Santiago  de  Cuba 
and  of  the  Old  Guard  of  New  York  City,  and  fraternally,  of  Solomon's  Lodge, 
No.  196,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of  Tarry  town,  and  of  Irving  Chapter, 
No.  268,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  of  Tarrytown;  also  he  is  connected  with  the 
Westchester  Lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  of  Tarry- 
town,  and  he  is  foreman  of  the  Conqueror  Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  of 
Tarrytown. 

Charles  J.  Weeks,  second  son  of  Abel  and  Elmira  (Miller)  Weeks,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  did  gallant  service  as  a  private  in  Company  C,  Seventy- 
first  Regiment  New  York  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  received  a  gunshot  wound 
before  Santiago,  July  i,  1898,  while  taking  part  in  a  charge  by  which  a  part 
of  a  battery  was  saved  to  the  American  cause.  He  recovered  from  his  injur- 
ies and  is  living  at  Tarrytown. 

Politically,  Mr.  Weeks  is  a  Republican,  as  was  his  father  before  him. 


GEORGE    FISCHER. 


One  of  Yonkers'  most  prominent  German  residents  is  George  Fischer, 
who  was  born  at  Marienthal  on  the  Rhine,  Germany,  January  9,  1854,  and 
came  with  his  parents  to  the  United  States  when  he  was  twelve  years  old. 
His  grandfather.  Christian  Fischer,  was  a  keeper  of  vineyards  and  a  maker 
of  some  of  those  pure  wines  which  sustained  the  fame  of  his  country  in  the 
wine  markets  of  the  world  in  his  time.  He  had  seven  children,  two  of  whom 
came  with  George  Fischer's  father  and  his  wife  and  children  to  the  New 
World. 

Christian  Fischer,  Jr.,  father  of  George  Fischer,  located  in  Yonkers 
soon  after  his  arrival  in  New  York  (1864),  and  lived  there  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  which  terminated  in  1897,  after  he  had  celebrated  his  seventy- 
seventh  birthday.  He  was  an  active  and  useful  citizen  and  was  frequently 
elected  to  public  office,  and  served  with  success  and  greatly  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  his  townsmen  as  commissioner  of  highways  in  his  native  country.     By 


44 


690  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

trade  he  was  an  engineer.  In  his  youth  he  had  served  in  the  German  army, 
and  thus  he  acquired  a  liking  for  military  affairs,  which  influenced  him  to 
become  a  member  of  the  local  militia,  of  which  for  many  years  he  was  a 
member.  He  was  a  member  of  Yonkers  Teutonic  Turnverein,  the  Brother- 
hood of  Engineers  and  of  other  popular  organizations,  and  sustained  a  life- 
long relation  with  the  Catholic  church.  He  had  nine  children:  George  and 
William,  deceased;  George,  whose  name  appears  above  and  who  will  receive 
further  mention  below;  William;  Anna,  who  married  William  Katt,  of  Yonk- 
■ers;  Lena,  who  married  Augustus  Nitch;  Lizzie,  who  married  George  Zipp; 
and  Frederick. 

George  Fischer  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Yonkers.  At  the 
Bge  of  fifteen  he  left  school  to  learn  the  butcher's  trade,  in  which  he  was 
employed  for  some  years.  Later  he  studied  engineering,  but  finally  he 
turned  his  attention  to  hotel-keeping.  His  connection  for  several  years  with 
the  City  Hall  hotel,  of  Yonkers,  is  well  known.  For  several  seasons  he 
'managed  the  Alpine  and  Excelsior  excursion  grounds,  and  later  the  Sawmill 
^iver  Park.  Since  then  he  has  conducted  the  Nepera  Park  hotel  and  carried 
on  an  extensive  bottling  business. 

Politically,  Mr.  Fischer  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  is  an  active,  practical 
worker  in  public  affairs,  who  wields  a  recognized  influence  in  his  ward  and 
throughout  the  city  generally.  He  has  been  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  county 
and  assembly  conventions  and  is  an  active  member  of  his  ward  committee. 
He  was  a  candidate  for  alderman  in  1897  to  represent  the  seventh  ward,  but 
the  tide  of  election  went  against  him  and  could  not  have  been  stemmed 
under  governing  circumstances.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Yonkers  fire 
department  for  twenty-three  years,  and  was  several  times  foreman  of  Moun- 
taineer Engine  Company,  now  Nepera  Hose  Company,  No.  11.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  committee  of  one  hundred  citizens  which  visited  Rochester  in 
1899.  He  is  a  Red  Man  (Algonquin  Tribe,  No.  288),  a  member  of  Alsatia 
Lodge,  and  is  identified  with  other  popular  organizations. 

December  25,  1874,  he  married  Maggie  Harding,  who  has  borne  him 
children  as  follows:  Christian  T. ,  Fred  (deceased),  William  (deceased), 
Elizabeth,  Mary  M.,  Frederick,  Bertha  and  Julia. 


DAVID  FARRINGTON. 


David  Farrington  was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York,  December  25, 
1834,  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  that  city,  but  left 
his  studies  ere  he  had  completed  the  full  term  in  order  to  begin  an  apprentice- 
ship in  the  engraving  business.  He  was  employed  in  this  manner  for  six 
years,  and  five  years  longer  as  a  journeyman,  learning  every  detail  of  the  art. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  691 

Subsequently  he  was  connected  with  the  jewelry  house  of  Ball,  Black  & 
Company  as  an  engraver,  for  ten  years.  His  ability  and  genuine  talent 
becoming  recognized,  he  was  offered  a  good  position  with  the  American 
Bank  Note  Company,  and  has  continued  with  this  one  firm  for  the  long  period 
of  thirty  years.  In  1871  he  purchased  the  property  at  No.  326  South  Fourth 
avenue,  Mount  Vernon,  where  his  home  has  been  ever  since,  and  he  was  one 
of  the  first  to  locate  in  this  section  of  the  city.  With  his  business  associates 
and  fellow  citizens  he  is  deservedly  popular,  and  every  one  has  a  good  word 
for  him.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to  Hiawathia  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  to 
Mount  Vernon  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.  Politically,  he  cast  his  first  vote  for  John 
C.  Fremont,  and  has  always  been  a  loyal  Republican. 

For  twenty  years  Mr.  Farrington  served  as  a  member  of  the  Clinton 
Hook  &  Ladder  Company,  and  he  is  still  an  honorary  member  of  that  asso- 
ciation; is  a  charter  member  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Exempt  Fire- 
men's Association,  and  is  now  serving  as  one  of  the  fire  commissoners  of  the 
place,  having  been  appointed  to  the  office  by  Mayor  Edson  Lewis,  in  1895, 
for  a  term  of  three  years;  and  he  was  also  treasurer  of  the  board  at  the 
expiration  of  his  first  term.  May  15,  1898,  he  was  re-appointed,  for  another 
term  of  three  years,  by  Mayor  Edwin  W.  Fiske,  and  received  the  unanimous 
approval  of  the  Democratic  adminstration,  and  is  now  president  of  the  board. 
When  the  project  of  the  Mount  Vernon  water-works  was  started  he  was  one 
of  the  active  workers  and  stockholders  in  the  company  at  its  formation,  and 
he  is  now  a  member  and  a  trustee  of  the  Home  Building  &  Loan  Association 
of  Mount  Vernon. 

May  15,  1 86 1,  Mr.  Farrington  married  Miss  Anna  Luyster,  a  daughter 
of  Albert  Luyster,  an  old  citizen  of  the  metropolis.  For  sixty  years  Mr. 
Luyster  kept  a  butcher's  stall  in  Washington  market,  New  York.  Four  chil- 
dren blessed  this  marriage,  namely:  Amy  A.,  Elbert  L. ,  Ada  A.  and  Elmer. 
Mr.  Farrington  was  married  a  second  time,  wedding  Miss  Annie  Makeon,  of 
New  York,  and  by  this  marriage  there  is  one  child,  named  Clinton. 

The  Farringtons  hved  in  this  locality  long  before  this  town  was  dreamed 
of,  and  the  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  owned  a  large  farm  in  the 
township  of  Eastchester,  now  within  the  borough  of  Mount  Vernon.  His 
family  comprised  the  following  children:  John,  Thomas,  Washington,  David 
and  Hettie.  David,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  article,  was  born  in 
1796,  in  the  old  family  residence  which  stood  until  a  few  years  ago  at 
the  corner  of  Lincoln  and  North  Fourth  avenues,  in  this  town.  David 
Farrington  spent  nearly  all  his  life  in  New  York  city,  and  at  one  time  held  a 
position  as  superintendent  of  street-cleaning  there.  He  was  a  volunteer  in 
the  war  of  18 12,  and  in  his  political  views  he  was  a  Democrat.  His  death 
took  place  in  Brooklyn,  where  he  had   lived  for  a  few  years,  his  age  being 


692  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

ninety-three.  He  was  twice  married,  his  first  union  being  with  CaroHne 
Reynolds,  the  mother  of  our  subject.  Of  their  six  children — Anne  Maria, 
Eliza,  Francis,  David,  Amanda  and  Emma,  only  two  survive, — David,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  and  Emma. 


REV.  CHARLES  ELMER  ALLISON,   D.   D. 

There  is  scarcely  a  man  or  boy  in  Yonkers  who  is  not  more  or  less 
acquainted  with  the  genial  personality  of  Dr.  Allison.  To  the  majority  he  is 
known  as  one  of  the  most  fluent  and  humorous  after-dinner  speakers  in  the 
city,  whilst  to  the  more  serious-minded  he  is  esteemed  as  the  zealous  evan- 
gelical pastor  or  as  the  grave  and  learned  historian.  He  is  equally  respected 
by  all  classes,  and  no  one  could  pose  more  successfully  as  "  the  man  of  many 
friends." 

The  history  of  the  Allison  family  in  Europe  and  the  United  States  by 
the  Hon.  Leonard  Allison  Morrison,  D.  D.,  contains  biographies  of  the 
Orange  county  Allisons,  and  records  that  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a 
descendant  in  the  sixth  generation  of  Joseph  Allison,  probably  a  Scotchman 
or  of  Scotch  descent,  who  resided  at  Southold,  Long  Island,  in  1721,  and 
migrated  to  Goshen,  Orange  county,  about  1725  or  1726,  having  purchased 
lands  designated  as  the  Allison  tract  in  the  Wanayanda  patent.  On  his 
maternal  side  the  Rev.  Dr.  Allison  is  in  the  eighth  generation  from  Edward 
Elmer,  a  Puritan  who  emigrated  from  England  to  Boston,  Massachusetts,  in 
1632,  twelve  years  after  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  and  who  emi- 
grated, in  1635  or  1636,  with  the  Rev.  Thomas  Hooker  and  his  congregation, 
to  Hartford,  Connecticut,  as  original  proprietors  of  that  city.  One  of  Dr. 
Allison's  ancestors  was  General  William  Allison,  an  officer  of  the  American 
Revolution,  who,  as  a  colonel,  commanded  the  Orange  county  troops  at  the 
battle  of  Fort  Montgomery.  One  of  the  officers  in  command  of  the  king's- 
forces  at  that  battle  was  the  son-in-law  of  the  Hon.  Frederick  Philipse,  who, 
in  the  eighteenth  century,  was  proprietor  of  the  Manor  of  Philipseburgh  and 
lived  in  the  Manor  Hall  of  Yonkers.  General  Allison  was  a  member  of  the 
provincial  convention  of  New  York  from  1775  to  1777,  and  state  senator  for 
the  terms  1783-6. 

The  following  from  a  recent  issue  of  Church  Tidings,  edited  and  pub- 
lished in  Connecticut  by  the  Rev.  Arthur  Requa: 

' '  Mr.  Allison  was  the  second  son  of  Isaac  W.  and  Teresa  A.  Allison, 
and  was  born  at  Slate  Hill,  Orange  county,  New  York.  His  college  prepar- 
atory school  was  Chester  Academy,  and  he  was  graduated  from  Hamilton 
College  in  the  class  of  '70.  He  was  one  of  the  six  Clark  prize  orators  of  that 
class.      He  was  graduated  from  Union  Theological  Seminary  in   1874.      Mr. 


Charles  E.  Allison. 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  693 

Allison  was  licensed  by  the  presbytery  of  Hudson,  and  ordained  by  West- 
chester presbytery,  April  30,  1879,^ — the  day  when  Dayspring  was  first 
enrolled  as  a  church. 

"  Mr.  Allison  came  to  this  enterprise  from  his  seminary  in  1873,  at  first 
coming  up  on  Saturday  and  returning  each  Monday.  When  organized,  Day- 
spring  had  ninety-four  members;  in  1897  the  enrollment  was  four  hundred 
and  thirty-six.  The  Dayspring  Sabbath-school  has  likewise  grown  from  sixty 
to  four  hundred  and  twenty-five  members.  Nearly  twenty-six  years  of  such 
active  service  is  an  unusual  record  in  these  days.  As  senior  pastor  of  the 
city,  he  recently  succeeded  Dr.  Cole  as  president  of  the  Yonkers  Clerical 
Association. 

"Mr.  Allison  published,  in  1889,  'Historical  Sketch  of  Hamilton  Col- 
lege,' and  in  1896  was  published  his  memorable  '  History  of  Yonkers. ' 

' '  Mr.  Allison  is  the  genial  story-teller,  ready  wit  and  popular  after-dinner 
speaker  of  the  city  of  Yonkers.  What  fraternity,  banquet  or  society  supper 
is  complete  without  him.' 

'■  He  is  an  indefatigable  worker,  a  sympathizing  pastor,  a  lover  of  chil- 
dren, a  strong,  impressive  preacher  and  an  all-around  friend.  His  parish 
includes  the  people  of  every  church,  and  he  is  equally  the  friend  of  the  wealthy 
and  poor.  He  is  a  stanch  friend  of  temperance.  He  was  moderator  of  the 
presbytery  in  1886.  The  new  Dayspring  church  is  a  fitting  monument  to  his 
personal  impress  upon  the  city  of  Yonkers. " 


THOMAS  J.   CALLAN. 

The  marked  business  and  executive  ability  of  Thomas  Joseph  Callan 
enables  him  to  fill  a  responsible  and  important  position  in  the  commercial 
circles  of  Yonkers,  and  his  bravery  and  loyalty  enabled  him  to  win  fame  in 
the  military  history  of  our  country;  but,  whether  on  the  field  of  battle,  in  his 
place  of  business  or  in  the  walks  of  public  and  private  life,  he  is  ever  true  to 
duty  and  by  his  straightforward  course  has  commanded  the  respect  and  con- 
fidence of  his  fellow  men. 

Mr.  Callan  was  born  in  county  Louth,  Ireland,  July  13,  1853,  and  is  a 
son  of  Peter  and  Ann  (Hackett)  Callan.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Thomas 
Callan,  was  a  farmer  and  weaver,  and  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety- 
eight  years.  His  maternal  grandfather,  Peter  Hackett,  was  a  government 
official  during  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  serving  in  the  public-land  depart- 
ment, at  Stevenson,  Ireland.  Several  of  his  sons  were  in  the  military  serv- 
ice of  their  country,  and  another.  Rev.  Dean  Richard  Hackett,  was  professor 
of  sciences,  metaphysics  and  Gregorian  chants  in  Maynooth  College,  Dublin, 


694  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

Ireland.  Peter  Callan,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  also  a  native  of  the 
Emerald  Isle,  acquired  a  college  education  and  prepared  for  the  priesthood. 
Abandoning  the  idea  of  entering  the  church,  however,  he  married  Ann 
Hackett  and  came  to  the  United  States,  landing  in  New  York  city  in  1854. 
Previous  to  his  emigration  he  had  followed  agricultural  pursuits,  but  after  his 
arrival  in  America  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  coasting  trade,  operating  in 
the  vicinity  of  New  York  city  and  making  his  home  at  Greenpoint,  Long 
Island.  Two  years  later  he  brought  his  family  to  this  country.  Subse- 
quently he  resided  in  Newark,  New  Jersey,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the 
leather  business.  He  died  in  the  Orange  valley,  in  Essex  county.  New  Jer- 
sey, at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years,  and  his  wife  passed  away  at  the  age 
of  seventy-six.  Their  children  are  as  follows:  Patrick,  who  served  as  alder- 
man in  Newark  and  as  deputy  state  labor  inspector  of  New  Jersey,  is  a 
veteran  of  the  civil  war  and  belongs  to  Garfield  Post,  No.  4,  G.  A,  R.,  at 
Newark.  Rev.  William  M.  R.,  who  died  in  February,  1898,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-eight  years,  was  a  priest  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church  and  had  charge 
of  the  church  of  Our  Lady  of  the  Valley,  in  the  Orange  valley,  for  twenty- 
five  years.  His  remains  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  of  the  Holy  Sep- 
ulchre, and  there  on  Sunday,  September  25,  1898,  with  appropriate  cere- 
monies, a  handsome  monument,  erected  to  his  memory,  was  unveiled  by  his 
parishioners,  September  25,  1898.  Mary,  the  next  of  the  family,  is  the  wife 
of  Thomas  Degman,  a  citizen  of  Newark,  New  Jersey.  Ann  Callan,  the 
next  child,  died  on  the  day  she  proposed  entering  a  convent.  Jane  was  a 
sister  of  charity,  having  entered  a  convent  when  fourteen  years  of  age  and 
being  there  known  as  Sister  Mary  Joachim.  She  died  in  St.  Mary's  convent 
in  Hoboken,  New  Jersey,  at  the  age  of  thirty-three  years.  Thomas  Joseph 
is  the  next  of  the  family;  and  the  youngest  was  Richard,  who  died  in  infancy. 
During  his  infancy  Thomas  J.  Callan  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  the 
New  World,  and  acquired  his  education  in  St.  Patrick's  Brothers'  school  at 
Newark,  New  Jersey.  At  an  early  age  he  left  his  parents'  home  and  started 
out  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world.  He  first  learned  and  followed  the 
undertaking  business  and  subsequently  engaged  in  the  grocery  trade,  but  in 
1876  he  put  aside  the  pursuits  of  civil  life  and  entered  the  military  service  of 
his  country,  enlisting  at  Boston,  Massachusetts,  as  a  member  of  the  Seventh 
United  States  Cavalry.  With  other  members  of  that  command  he  was  trans- 
ported to  Shreveport,  Louisiana,  and  placed  under  Major  Bell  for  training 
and  discipline.  As  soon  as  they  were  ready  for  service  they  were  transferred 
to  the  command  of  Captain  McDougal  and  sent  to  Fort  Lincoln,  Dakota,  to 
quell  the  Indian  uprising  and  hostilities  in  Montana,  on  the  Big  Horn  river. 
They  arrived  at  Fort  Lincoln  on  the  loth  of  May,  and  after  being  delayed 
for  a  few  days  by  the  severe  weather  they  broke  camp,  at  five  o'clock  on  the 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  695 

morning  of  May  17th,  there  being  about  six  hundred  men  and  pfficers  in  the 
command.  General  Custer  and  several  of  the  officers  were  accompanied  by 
their  wives  as  far  as  Big  Heart  river,  where  they  first  went  into  camp,  and 
there  many  a  farewell  was  exchanged  which  proved  to  be  a  final  one,  for  the 
husbands  marched  forward  to  one  of  the  most  fearful  engagements  that  have 
ever  occurred  in  the  history  of  our  Indian  warfare,  and  the  death  rate  was 
most  terrible.  They  continued  on  their  way,  with  various  exciting  and  thrill- 
ing experiences  and  all  the  attendant  hardships  incident  to  one  of  the  most 
perilous  and  difficult  marches  recorded  in  the  annals  of  the  west.  On  the 
1 6th  of  June  they  arrived  at  Powder  river,  where  they  went  into  camp  and 
soon  afterward  entered  upon  the  celebrated  campaign  of  the  Little  Big  Horn. 
Mr.  Callan  passed  through  the  entire  campaign,  under  command  first  of  Gen- 
eral Custer  and  then  of  Colonel  Reno  and  Captain  McDougal.  The  march- 
ing column  was  under  command  of  Brigadier-General  A.  H.  Terry  and  was 
composed  of  the  Seventh  Cavalry,  in  charge  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  George  C. 
Custer,  a  battalion  of  infantry,  the  Seventh  Infantry,  one  company  of  the 
Sixth  Infantry,  a  battery  of  Catling  guns,  forty-five  scouts,  guides  and  inter- 
preters. The  total  was  fifty  officers,  nine  hundred  and  sixty- eight  enlisted 
men,  one  hundred  and  ninety  civilian  employes,  and  one  thousand,  six  hun- 
dred and  ninety-four  horses  and  mules. 

Reaching  Powder  river  on  the  7th  of  June,  Major  Reno,  of  the  Seventh 
Cavalry,  was  dispatched  with  six  companies,  on  scouting  duty.  They  pro- 
ceeded up  the  Powder  river,  thence  to  the  Rosebud  and  back  to  the  mouth 
of  Tongue  river.  General  Terry  went  by  boat  up  the  Yellowstone  river  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Tongue,  and  there  met  General  Custer,  after  which  they 
were  joined  by  seven  companies  of  the  Seventh  Cavalry,  and  also  a  detach- 
ment of  the  Second  Cavalry  and  Fifth  Infantry  under  Major  Gibbons. 
Major  Reno  having  found  a  scouting  party  of  Indians,  reported  to  Brigadier- 
General  Terry  that  he  had  met  the  Indians  and  that  they  outnumbered  the 
white  men  fifteen  to  one.  He  decided  that  it  was  unwise  to  attack  the 
enemy  under  such  disadvantages  and  reported  to  General  Terry  asking  for 
reinforcements.  The  scouting  party,  of  which  Mr.  Callan  was  a  member, 
made  a  forced  march  of  two  days  and  two  nights  on  their  return  trip,  and 
reported.  On  the  22d  of  June  General  Terry  ordered  General  Custer  to  take 
command  of  the  Seventh  Cavalry  and  provided  him  with  a  number  of  mules 
and  some  Catling  guns,  but  the  latter  General  Custer  declined  to  take  with 
him.  He  then  proceeded  with  his  command  and  pack  train  up  the  Rosebud 
river  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Little  Big  Horn  river.  General  Terry  had 
ordered  Major  Gibbons  to  take  four  troops  of  cavalry  and  pack  mules  and 
proceed  up  the  west  bank  of  the  Yellowstone,  and  cross  the  stream  at  the 
fording  above  the   mouth   of  the   Big    Horn  river.      General  Terry  himself 


696  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

remained  in  .command  of  all  the  infantry  and  proceeded  by  boat  up  the 
Yellowstone  and  Big  Horn  rivers  as  far  as  the  latter  was  navigable,  and  met 
the  other  detachments  at  the  valley  of  the  Little  Big  Horn  river.  It  was 
upon  reaching  this  point  that  he  learned  of  the  sad  fate  of  General  Custer 
and  his  men.  The  General,  having  made  forced  marches,  met  the  enemy 
two  days  ahead  of  the  designated  time  and  in  the  attack  his  command  was 
entirely  annihilated  and  the  brave  commander  also  lost  his  life. 

Mr.  Callan  was  with  the  forces  under  Major  Reno,  on  June  25  and  26, 
and,  with  his  company,  was  for  two  days  and  two  nights  under  the  enemy's 
fire.  The  command  was  ordered  to  fall  back  to  the  hills,  where,  on  the  first  day, 
and  two  hours  after  its  opening  of  the  engagement  by  Major  Reno's  command, 
they  were  met  by  Major  Bentien  and  his  battalion.  They  then  decided  to 
go  to  the  rescue  of  General  Custer,  and  they  held  their  position  until  the 
arrival  of  Generals  Terry  and  Gibbons,  on  the  27th,  when  they  learned  of 
General  Custer's  defeat.  Mr.  Callan  was  presented  with  a  medal  of  honor 
by  congress  for  voluntarily  aiding  his  wounded  comrades  and  supplying  them 
with  water,  which  he  secured  at  great  peril  to  himself. 

While  Mr.  Callan  and  four  of  his  comrades  went  to  secure  water,  some 
of  their  party  were  wounded  by  the  rifle  balls  of  the  enemy.  Mr.  Callan  and 
his  comrades,  however,  located  where  the  Indians  had  concealed  themselves, 
and  after  Mr.  Callan  and  his  comrades  had  returned  to  the  skirmish  line  of 
the  troops,  and  had  given  the  hospital  steward  their  canteens,  which  they 
had  filled  with  water,  Mr.  Callan  and  bis  comrades  again  took  their  places  in 
the  line  of  battle.  Their  journey,  which  they  had  made  to  secure  the  water, 
was  fraught  with  peril,  they  having  made  the  distance  of  more  than  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  outside  of  their  own  skirmish  line,  and  through  the  lines  of  the 
enemy.  Mr.  Callan  and  his  comrades  had  carefully  located  the  Indians,  who 
had  concealed  themselves  in  the  foliage  of  a  tree,  from  which  point  they  had 
a  clear  control  over  the  only  route  by  which  the  troops  could  secure  any 
water;  and  when  the  command  was  given  to  charge  upon  the  enemy,  to  drive 
them  back  from  approaching  too  close  to  the  wounded  troops,  and  after  their 
return  from  the  charge,  Mr.  Callan  and  his  comrades  turned  their  attention 
to  the  tree  where  the  Indians  had  concealed  themselves,  and  soon  one  by 
one  the  redskins  were  seen  to  drop  lifeless  from  his  perch  in  the  tree,  and 
thus  the  way  to  the  river  to  secure  water  for  the  troops  was  made  clear;  and 
it  may  also'be  added  that  Mr.  Callan  contributed  no  small  part  in  the  accom- 
plishment of  this  fearful  task. 

The  medal  which  he  received  in  recognition  of  his  bravery  and  kindness 
to  his  comrades  consists  of  a  bronze  star  suspended  from  a  bronze  bar.  On 
the  reverse  side  is  inscribed  the  following:: 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  697 

The  Congress 

to 

Private  Thomas  J.  Callan, 

Troop  B,  7th  Cavalry, 

For  Gallantry  at 

Little  Big  Horn,  Montana, 

June  25-26, 

1876. 

The  following  letter  accompanied  the  medal: 

War  Department, 

Adjutant  General's  Office, 
Washington  D.  C,  Nov.  3,  1896. 
Mr.  Thomas  J.  Callan,  Yonkers,  N.  Y.: 

Sir: — By  direction  of  the  Assistant  Secretary  of  War,  I  enclose  herewith  a  medal  of  honor 
awarded  to  you  for  gallantry  at  the  battle  of  Little  Big  Horn,  Montana,  June  25-26,  1876,  while 
serving  as  a  private  of  Troop  B,  Seventh  United  States  Cavalry.  The  records  show  that  you 
volunteered  and  succeeded  in  obtaining  water  for  the  wounded  of  the  command,  and  was  con- 
spicuous for  good  conduct  in  assisting  to  drive  the  Indians  from  the  trees  in  the  bottom  while 
the  men  attempted  to  get  water. 

Very  respectfully, 

J.  S.  Babcock, 

Ass't  Adjt.  General. 

The  medal  he  received  was  one  of  two  thousand  which  had  been  granted 
by  the  war  department  up  to  1896.  Mr.  Callan  is  now  an  honorary  member 
of  John  C.  Fremont  Post,  No.  590,  G.  A.  R. ,  at  Yonkers,  which  he  fre- 
quently entertains  with  stories  and  reminiscences  of  his  five  years'  service  in 
the  Seventh  Cavalry  and  the  Custer  massacre  or  battle  of  the  Big  Horn. 

After  serving  seven  years  in  the  United  States  Army  Mr.  Callan  returned 
to  the  east  in  1880,  and,  after  one  year  spent  in  the  leather  business,  re- 
moved to  Yonkers,  in  1881,  to  accept  the  position  of  manager  for  the  Great 
Atlantic  &  Pacific  Tea  Company,  which  responsible  position  he  has  since 
filled,  being  to-day  in  control  of  the  largest  business  of  the  kind  in  West- 
chester county.  In  business  affairs  he  shows  great  discretion,  and  displays 
great  energy  and  enterprise,  and  his  well  directed  efforts  have  brought  him 
gratifying  success. 

Mr.  Callan  has  been  twice  married.  He  first  wedded  Mary  T.  Matthews, 
of  Newark,  New  Jersey,  June  18,  1882,  but  she  died  a  year  and  a  half  later, 
leaving  him  with  an  infant  son,  William,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years. 
His  present  wife  was  formerly  Miss  Mary  J.  Nolan,  of  Orange  Valley,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Colloton)  Nolan.  Their  marriage  was  con- 
summated January  11,  1886,  and  they  have  one  child,  Mary  Joachim. 
Socially  Mr.  Callan  is  connected  with  the  Montgomery  Club,  the  Order  of 
Red  Men,  Shalamuck  Tribe,  No.  355,  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians. 
He   also  belongs  to   St.  Peter's   Roman  Catholic  church  and  the  Catholic 


698  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

Benevolent  Legion,  and  Yonkers  Council,  No.  300.  He  gives  his  political 
support  to  the  Democratic  party,  and  keeps  well  informed  on  the  issues  of 
the  day  and  actively  identified  with  political  and  other  public  interests  of 
importance.  As  a  business  man  he  bears  an  unassailable  reputation  and  at 
all  times  and  in  all  relations  of  life  he  is  as  true  to  his  duty  as  when  he  fought 
for  the  interests  of  the  nation   against  the  red  men  upon  the  western  plains. 


HON.   CHAUNCEY  M.   DEPEW. 

Mr.  Depew,  distinguished  as  a  lawyer  and  statesman,  was  born  at  Peek- 
skill,  April  23,  1834.  His  ancestry  was  of  Huguenot  families,  from  which 
have  sprung  so  many  noble  men  to  make  immortal  names  in  history.  His 
family  were  early  settled  at  Peekskill,  where  his  father,  Isaac  Depew,  resided 
on  the  farm  which  had  been  the  home  of  his  ancestors  for  two  hundred 
years.  His  early  years  were  spent  on  the  old  homestead,  and  his  education 
was  finished  at  Yale  College,  where  he  graduated  in  1856.  Resolved  to  enter 
the  legal  profession,  he  studied  law  under  Hon.  William  Nelson,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1858,  and  commenced  practice  in  his  native  town. 

His  natural  ability,  sound  knowledge  of  the  law  and  great  oratorical 
talent  caused  his  rapid  advancement.  In  his  youth  he  took  part  in  politics, 
was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  state  convention  in  1858,  and  a  distinguished 
and  effective  speaker  in  the  campaign  of  i860.  In  every  presidential  contest 
from  that  time  to  the  present,  his  speeches  have  been  listened  to  b}'  thou- 
sands of  his  fellow  citizens,  and  his  opinions  have  never  failed  to  attract 
attention  and  command  respect.  At  the  beginning  of  the  war  he  was  adju- 
tant of  the  Eighteenth  Regiment  of  New  York  Volunteers,  and  served  three 
months.  In  1861  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  assembly,  and  re-elected 
in  1862.  His  legislative  career,  which  was  marked  with  great  ability,  pre- 
pared the  way  for  a  still  higher  position,  and  in  1863  he  was  elected  secre- 
tary of  state.  He  received,  but  declined,  the  appointment  of  commissioner 
of  immigration,  but  served  for  one  year  as  tax  commissioner  for  the  city  of 
New  York.  In  1866  he  received  from  President  Johnson  the  appointment  of 
minister  to  Japan, — a  position  which  he  resigned  after  holding  the  commis- 
sion for  one  month.  He  was  appointed  one  of  the  commissioners  of  the  new 
Capitol  at  Albany  in  1871.  The  Liberal  Republican  party  gave  Mr.  Depew 
the  nomination  for  governor  in  1872;  but  he,  together  with  the  rest  of  the 
ticket,  failed  of  ejection.  During  the  controversy  which  led  to  the  resigna- 
tion of  Hon.  Roscoe  Conkling  as  United  States  senator,  Mr.  Depew  was  one 
of  the  most  prominent  among  the  candidates  proposed  as  his  successor,  but 
withdrew  his  name  in  the  interests  of  harmony.  He  was  appointed  one  of 
the  regents  of  the  University  in  1877,  a  position  which  he  still  retains.     For 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  699 

several  years  he  was  vice-president  and  general  counsel  for  the  New  York 
Central  &  Hudson  River  Railroad  company,  and  afterward  was  president  of 
the  same, — a  position  which  furnished  ample  scope  for  his  abilities. 

Among  the  prominent  orators  of  the  day,  there  are  few  who  have  been 
more  frequently  called  upon  to  deliver  addresses  upon  occasions  of  public 
importance.  A  speech  delivered  in  the  legislature,  in  1862,  upon  the  subject 
of  state  finances,  has  been  considered  one  of  his  best  efforts,  and  attracted  wide 
attention.  On  the  4th  of  July,  1876,  he  delivered  the  centennial  oration  at 
Sing  Sing,  and  made  a  brilliant  address  at  Kingston  on  July  30,  1877,  the 
anniversary  of  the  formation  of  the  state  government.  On  September  23, 
1880,  he  addressed  a  large  assembly  at  Tarrytown,  in  commemoration  of  the 
capture  of  Major  Andre,  and  he  was  the  orator  of  the  day  upon  the  occasion 
of  unveiling  the  statue  of  Alexander  Hamilton  in  Central  Park.  At  the 
election  of  a  United  States  senator,  in  1885,  he  was  tendered  the  nomination 
by  all  divisions  of  the  Republican  party,  but  declined  to  be  considered  a  can- 
didate, and  the  choice  fell  upon  Hon.  William  M.  Evarts. 

In  1899  Mr.  Depew  was  elected  a  United  States  senator,  and  this  choice 
of  the  New  York  legislature  elicited  words  of  hearty  commendation  from  the 
entire  press  of  the  state,  with  very  few  exceptions,  irrespective  of  party  lines. 

In  1 87 1  he  married  Miss  Elise,  daughter  of  William  Hageman,  Esq., 
of  New  York,  and  has  one  son,  who  bears  his  father's  name. 


JACOB  H.  DALTON. 

Located  four  miles  and  a  half  distant  from  the  town  of  Peekskill,  New 
York,  is  found  the  delightful  country  home  of  Mr.  Jacob  H.  Dalton.  His- 
farm  comprises  seventy  acres  of  fine  land,  well  cultivated,  and  his  commo- 
dious and  attractive  residence,  beautifully  located  on  an  elevation  and  sur- 
rounded by  shade  and  ornamental  trees,  commands  a  magnificent  view  of  the 
surrounding  country.  The  owner  of  this  place  is  one  of  the  prominent  citi- 
zens of  his  locality. 

He  was  born  in  Yorktown,  Westchester  county,  New  York,  January  15, 
1862,  the  son  of  Samuel  Dalton  and  grandson  of  James  Dalton.  The  Dal- 
tons  trace  their  origin  to  the  Scotch-Irish.  Samuel  Dalton  married  Miss 
Ella  Field  McCord,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  R.  and  Phebe  (Field)  McCord,  and 
she  died  when  her  only  child,  Jacob  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a 
babe  five  months  old.  The  father  was  subsequently  married  to  Miss  Cath- 
erine Richey,  daughter  of  Elihu  Richey,  of  Cortlandt  township,  Westchester 
county.  New  York.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  a  representative  of  the 
old  McCord  family  of  which  mention  is  made  on  other  pages  of  this  work. 
The  Field    family  mentioned  traces  lineage  back  to  English  origin,  the  line  of. 


700  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

descent  being  traced  from  John  Field,  who  was  a  resident  of  Horton  Parish, 
of  Bradford,  England,  in  the  year  1572. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  later  attended  the  Peekskill  Academy.  On  reaching  manhood  he 
engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  account,  and  as  the  result  of  his  push  and 
energy  is  meeting  with  a  fair  degree  of  success. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  October  31,  1888,  to  Miss  Ida  Travis,  a 
native  of  New  York  city  and  a  daughter  of  David  Travis,  deceased.  David 
Travis  was  born  in  Putnam  county.  New  York,  and  was  twice  married.  For 
his  first  wife  he  married  Miss  Cornelia  Gilbert,  of  Putnam  county,  and  for  his 
second  wife  he  wedded  Miss  Jane  Oakley,  a  native  of  Peekskill,  New  York, 
and  a  daughter  of  James  and  Mary  (Gilbert)  Oakley.  Mrs.  Dalton  is  the 
eldest  daughter  by  the  second  marriage.  Mr.  Travis  died  in  1892  and  Mrs. 
Travis  is  a  resident  of  New  York  city.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dalton  have  two  chil- 
dren: Florence  May,  born  May  25,  1890,  and  Virginia  Field,  born  October 
20,  1892. 

Mrs.  Dalton  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  at  Shrub 
Oak,  New  York. 


WILLIAM  J.   HORTON. 

On  the  24th  of  August,  1898,  there  passed  away,  at  his  home  in  York- 
town  township,  Westchester  county.  New  York,  one  of  that  county's  best 
and  most  highly  respected  citizens,  William  James  Horton.  His  honesty, 
integrity,  gentleness  and  purity  were  a  constant  source  of  inspiration  to  his 
loving  family  and  friends,  and  few  men  have  left  an  example  more  to  be 
desired  than  he. 

Mr.  Horton  was  born  in  Yorktown  township,  December  10,  1828,  a  son 
of  Frost  and  Phoebe  (Tompkins)  Horton.  In  early  childhood  he  removed 
with  his  parents  to  Peekskill,  where  he  attended  first  the  public  schools  and 
later  the  Peekskill  academy,  and  after  attending  the  latter  institution  for 
some  time  be  entered  college  at  North  Adams,  Massachusetts.  Upon  his 
return  home  he  remained  in  Peekskill  for  a  time,  filling  a  position  in  his 
father's  office,  but  after  his  marriage  took  up  the  occupation  of  farming  in 
Yorktown  township,  in  which  undertaking  he  met  with  more  than  ordinary 
success. 

On  the  8th  of  January,  1851,  Mr.  Horton  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Leah  B.  Carpenter,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Winnifred  S.  (Carpen- 
ter) Carpenter,  and  by  this  union  there  were  three  children,  namely:  Wright, 
who  married  Phoebe  Weeks;  Thomas  V.,  who  married  Elizabeth  Ireland;  and 
Georgine  H.,  now  Mrs.  Frank  A.  Weed.     (More  extended    mention  of  the 


"N^  \  C^^JvOJC:^^W^ 


i^-MV) 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  701 

Horton  family  is  given  in  the  sketch  of  Dr.  Stephen  F.  Horton,  on  another 
page  of  this  work.) 

Mr.  Horton  was  progressive  and  enterprising,  and  took  an  active  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  the  community.  Politically  he  was  a  stanch  Democrat  and 
served  his  party  in  the  office  of  commissioner  of  highways  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  also  filled  the  office  of  township  supervisor  for  several  terms.  He 
was  a  liberal  contributor  to  church  and  charitable  enterprises,  and  while 
not  an  avowed  member  of  the  Episcopal  church  he  served  for  a  number  of 
years  as  one  of  its  vestrymen.  In  his  religious  principles  he  held  to  the 
doctrines  laid  down  by  the  Quakers,  or  Society  of  Friends.  In  his  life-span 
of  seventy  years  he  accomplished  much,  and  he  left  behind  him  an  honorable 
record,  well  worthy  of  perpetuation.  He  was  a  man  of  the  highest  charac- 
ter, and  those  who  were  most  intimately  associated  with  him  speak  in  unquali- 
fied terms,  of  his  sterling  integrity,  his  honor  in  business  and  his  fidelity  to  all 
the  duties  of  public  and  private  life.  He  was  faithful  to  his  country  and  to 
his  friends,  and  in  his  home  was  an  exemplary  husband  and  father.  His 
death  occasioned  the  deepest  regret  throughout  the  community,  and  West- 
chester county  thereby  lost  one  of  its  most  valued  citizens.  Mrs.  Horton  is 
an  estimable  lady  of  many  sterling  qualities,  and  has  a  large  circle  of  friends 
in  the  community. 

GRIFFITH  JOHN. 

It  will  assuredly  prove  not  uninteresting  to  observe  in  the  series  of  bio- 
graphical sketches  appearing  in  this  volume  the  varying  nationality,  origin 
and  early  environment  of  men  who  have  made  their  way  to  positions  of 
prominence  and  success.  In  no  better  way  can  we  gain  a  conception  of  the 
diverse  elements  which  have  entered  into  our  social,  professional  and  com- 
mercial life,  and  which  to  the  future  American  type  will  impart  features 
which  cannot  be  conjectured  at  the  present  time.  We  have  had  an  American 
type  in  the  past;  we  shall  have  a  distinctly  national  character  in  the  future, 
but,  for  the  present,  amalgamation  of  the  various  elements  is  proceeding,  and- 
the  final  result  is  yet  remote.  No  unimportant  element  in  the  formation  of 
this  national  type  is  that  furnished  by  the  little  rock-ribbed  country  of  Wales, 
which  country  was  the  original  home  of  the  ancestors  of  Griffith  John.  The 
sterling  elements  of  that  race  are  shown  in  his  character,  and  their  persever- 
ance and  adaptability  find  an  exponent  in  his  successful  career. 

Although  of  Welsh  ancestry,  Griffith  John  is  a  native  of  China,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Shanghai,  on  the  nth  of  January,  1856.  His  parents 
were  Griffith  and  Margaret  (Griffiths)  John.  His  paternal  grandfather,  who 
also  bore  the  name  of  Griffith  John,  was  a  native  of  Swansea,  Wales,  and 
was  connected  with  the  manufacturing  interests  of  that  country.    His  son  and. 


702  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

namesake  was  also  born  in  Swansea,  and  is  now  a  missionary  at  Hankow, 
where  he  has  been  located  for  forty-three  years.  He  was  educated  in  Brecon 
College,  of  Wales,  and  Bedford  College,  England,  and,  having  prepared  for 
the  ministry,  determined  to  devote  his  life  to  missionary  work.  Accordingly 
he  went  at  once  to  the  orient, — sent  out  by  the  London  Missionary  Society, 
— and  now  for  forty-four  years  he  has  labored  to  spread  the  gospel  among 
the  heathen  people  of  the  great  Confucian  empire.  He  married  Margaret 
Griffiths,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  David  Griffiths,  who  was  born  in  Wales,  and 
educated  in  one  of  the  seminaries  of  that  country.  He  prepared  for  the  min- 
istry and  then  went  to  the  missionary  field  of  Madagascar,  where  he  remained 
for  many  years.  When  the  queen  of  that  land  attempted  to  massacre  all  the 
Christians  his  life  was  threatened,  for  his  concealing  and  protecting  the  con- 
verts, so  he  was  compelled  to  return  to  England,  and  one  of  his  labors  after 
reaching  that  country  was  the  translation  of  the  Bible  into  the  Madagascar 
language.  At  the  age  of  seventy  years  he  retired  to  private  life  and  died  in 
Wales.  He  married  Miss  Mary  Griffiths,  in  Wales,  and  she  accompanied  him 
on  his  missionary  tour.  Returning  then  to  Great  Britain,  her  death  occurred 
in  her  native  land,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-one  years.  Among  their 
children,  five  or  six  in  number,  was  Mrs.  John,  mother  of  our  subject.  She, 
too,  aided  her  husband  in  his  noble  work  among  the  not  Christianized  people 
of  the  orient,  and  her  death  occurred  in  Singapore,  in  the  Malay  peninsula, 
in  1873.  By  her  marriage  she  became  the  mother  of  six  children,  three  of 
whom  are  living,  namely:  Dr.  David  John,  a  resident  of  Yonkers;  Mrs. 
Mary  Sparhan,  whose  husband  was  sent  out  by  the  London  Missionary  Society 
and  is  now  in  Hankow,  China;  and  Griffith,  of  this  review. 

The  last  named,  now  one  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  Yonkers, 
New  York,  was  born  in  Shanghai  and  was  educated  in  a  boarding  school  in 
Blackheath,  England,  where  continued  his  studies  until  seventeen  years  of 
age.  In  order  to  attain  the  mastery  of  the  principles  and  practices  of  mechan- 
ical engineering  he  then  spent  six  years  in  the  Siemens  Steel  Works,  in 
Swansea,  Wales,  in  the  pattern-making  and  machine  department  and  the 
drawing  offices.  During  that  time  he  became  very  expert  in  the  work,  and 
on  leaving  that  large  industrial  establishment  he  entered  the  ship-building 
yards  of  the  Palmer  Ship  Building  Company,  of  Jarrow,  England.  There  he 
remained  seven  months  and  then  went  to  sea,  as  assistant  engineer  on  a  mer- 
chant vessel,  in  order  to  gain  practical  experience.  For  several  months  he 
was  thus  employed,  plying  between  Liverpool  and  New  Orleans,  and  subse- 
quently he  entered  the  consulting  engineer's  office,  in  London,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  perfecting  his  knowledge  of  marine  engineering,  in  which  he  had 
become  especially  interested.  There  he  remained  for  a  year,  enjoying  par- 
ticular advantages  in  the  line  of  his  chosen  profession.      By  most  thorough 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  703 

and  comprehensive  training,  botii  theoretical  and  practical,  he  was  fitted  for 
the  most  expert  mechanical  work  of  all  descriptions. 

In  1 88 1  Mr.  John  came  to  the  United  States  and  accepted  a  position  as 
draftsman  with  R.  Hoe  &  Company,  printing-press  manufacturers,  of  New 
York  city.  For  six  years  he  occupied  that  responsible  position  and  then 
came  to  Yonkers,  in  1887,  to  accept  the  position  of  draftsman  wi-th  Otis 
Brothers  &  Company,  thus  serving  until  1892,  when  he  went  to  Boston  to 
become  superintendent  of  the  Whittier  Machine  Company,  with  which  he 
was  connected  until  1896,  when  he  returned  to  Yonkers.  Since  that  time 
he  has  occupied  the  responsible  position  of  superintendent  of  the  extensive 
industrial  interests  of  Otis  Brothers  &  Company, — the  most  important  place 
in  all  their  service.  He  has  under  his  control  twelve  foremen  and  between 
three  and  four  hundred  employes.  His  administration  of  the  extensive  affairs 
of  the  company  indicates  managerial  ability  of  the  highest  order.  Added  to 
this  is  a  most  comprehensive  and  expert  knowledge  of  the  working  of  ma- 
chinery and  the  natural  laws  which  govern  it.  He  is  just  toward  the  workmen, 
and  at  all  times  alert  in  conserving  the  best  interests  of  his  company  with 
which  he  is  so  closely  allied.  Tireless  energy,  keen  perception,  honesty  of 
purpose,  a  genius  for  devising  and  executing  the  right  thing  at  the  right  time, 
joined  to  every-day  common  sense,  are   his  chief  characteristics  in  business. 

With  all  his  great  practical  force  of  character,  Mr.  John  has  the  faculty 
of  placing  all  at  ease  by  the  courtesy  and  frankness  of  his  manner,  being  in 
truth  a  gentleman  and  a  universal  favorite.  Of  course  opportunity  brings 
this  side  of  his  nature  forward  more  frequently  in  social  circles  and  in  his 
home.  He  was  married  in  April,  1883,  to  Miss  Ida  E.  Paynter,  a  daughter 
of  Isaac  E.  Paynter,  of  New  York  city,  and  they  have  had  two  children,  Griffith 
Paynter  and  Bessie  Edith.  The  family  attend  the  First  Presbyterian 
church,  and  enjoy  the  hospitality  of  the  best  homes  of  Yonkers. 


JAMES  H.    LANDER. 

Mr.  Lander  is  one  of  the  most  energetic  and  enterprising  citizens  of 
Greenburg  township,  Westchester  county,  New  York,  and  has  served  in  the 
capacity  of  commissioner  of  highways  since  1890.  He  was  born  in  the 
town  in  which  he  now  resides,  on  May  25,  1863,  being  a  son  of  Henry  S. 
and  Annie  (Williams)  Lander,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  England.  His 
father,  Henry  Lander,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Swanage,  Dorsetshire,  Eng- 
land, where  he  received  a  good  common-school  education  and  grew  to  man- 
hood, learning  the  trade  of  a  stone-cutter.  In  1855  he  emigrated  to  America, 
coming  to  New  York  state  and  purchasing  a  farm  in  the  town  of  Greenburg, 
Westchester  county.      On   this   land   he  established  a  factory  for  the  manu- 


704  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

facture  of  bone-dust  and  fertilizer,  and  also  made  a  kind  of  grease  which  he 
sold  for  lubricating  purposes.  He  soon  built  up  a  good  business  and  the 
output  of  his  factory  finds  a  ready  sale  among  the  surrounding  farmers, 
bringing  him  a  neat  income.  He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Annie  Will- 
iams, who  was  born  in  London.  England,  and  came  to  America  with  her 
parents,  who  first  made  their  home  on  Long  Island,  and  later  settled  in  the 
town  of  Greenburg,  this  county,  where  she  met  and  married  Mr.   Lander. 

James  H.  Lander  received  as  good  an  education  as  could  be  obtained  in 
the  common  schools.  He  also  assisted  his  father  about  the  farm  work  and 
in  the  factory.  In  1890  he  was  elected  commissioner  of  highways,  and  so 
acceptably  were  the  duties  of  the  office  discharged  that  he  has  held  the  office 
continuously  since,  being  re-elected  in  1893  and  1896;  his  present  term  will 
expire  in  1900.  He  received  a  most  flattering  vote,  his  majorities  ranging 
from  one  hundred  and  seventy-six  to  four  hundred  and  twenty  in  a  strong 
Democratic  township.  He  owns  one  farm  of  thirty-one  acres,  which  is  in 
a  good  state  of  cultivation,  and  supplied  with  good,  commodious  buildings. 
Besides  this  farm,  which  is  always  kept  in  first-class  condition,  he  also  owns 
another  farm,  of  about  seventy  acres,  located  near  the  Westchester  county 
fair  grounds,  and  upon  this  place  are  fine  new  buildings  and  other  substantial 
improvements.  He  also  owns  several  other  small  pieces  of  property  in  the 
town  of  Greenburg,  and  in  addition  to  his  farming  operations  does  an  exten- 
sive business  in  grading  streets  and  highways,  making  excavations,  etc. 

When  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  chose  as  the  partner  of  life's  vicissi- 
tudes Miss  Ada  McFadden,  of  the  town  of  Greenburg,  whose  father  was 
James  McFadden,  and  whose  great-grandfather  emigrated  to  this  country 
from  Ireland.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lander  are  the  proud  parents  of  nine  children*.. 
Florence,  Howard,  Clarence,  James,  Frank,  Irvin,  Walter,  Bessie  and 
Everett.  Mr.  Lander  is  a  Republican,  and  in  1891  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  school  trustee.,  serving  three  years.  He  is  a  member  of  Diamond 
Lodge,  555,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Dobbs  Ferry,  and  the  Spring  Valley  Lodge, 
I.  O.  O.  F.  He  is  a  man  of  sound  judgment  and  marked  ability,  and 
stands  well  in  the  community. 


ALBERT.  S.  LEVINESS. 


Mr.  Leviness,  a  retired  farmer  living  at  Hartsdale,  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Greenburg,  Westchester  county,  December  7,  1826,  the  second  soa 
of  Jonathan  and  Charlotte  (Underbill)  Leviness.  His  father  was  born  in  the 
same  town,  in  1800,  was  a  farmer  in  early  life,  a  prominent  citizen,  a  mem- 
ber and  trustee  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  church  and  a  man  of  great  force  of 
character;  he  died  in  1886.      His  father,  Joseph  Leviness,  was  also  a  native 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  705 

of  Westchester  county,  married  Elizabeth  Sherwood,  and  had  five  sons  who 
married  and  had  children.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  the  daughter 
of  Gilbert  Underbill,  who  married  a  Miss  Hart  and  had  thirteen  children, 
— nine  daughters  and  four  sons.  William  Underbill,  father  of  Gilbert,  mar- 
ried Ann  Underbill  and  by  occupation  was  a  farmer. 

Albert  S.  Leviness  was  reared  principally  on  the  farm  and  received  a 
good  common-school  education,  going  to  school  during  the  winter  terms. 
In  his  twentieth  year  he  married  and  settled  on  a  rented  farm  for  four  years, 
after  which  he  purchased  a  farm  of  thirty  acres  of  Benjamin  T.  Underbill, 
and  continued  in  successful  general  farmirg  until  1895,  when  he  disposed  of 
bis  place  and  retired  from  active  life,  attending  only  to  the  financial  features 
of  what  business  may  remain  on  his  hands. 

He  was  first  married  to  Dorcas  Tomkins,  of  Greenburg,  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Mary  Tompkins,  born  in  that  town  January  2,  1826.  The  chil- 
dren by  this  marriage  were:  James  T. ;  Mary  E.,  wife  of  Eugene  Sherwood, 
a  son  of  John  Sherwood,  residing  in  New  Canaan,  Connecticut;  and  Jay 
Hart,  who  resides  in  Greenburg  township.  Mrs.  Leviness  died  in  1893,  and 
for  his  second  wife  Mr.  Leviness  married,  October  4,  1894,  Mrs.  Harriet 
Mead,  widow  of  Amos  Mead,  her  maiden  name  having  been  Dusenbury,  as 
she  was  the  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Jane  (Underbill)  Dusenbury.  By  her  first 
marriage  her  children  were  Allen  and  Henry. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leviness  are  members  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  church. 
In  politics  he  is  independent.  In  public  office  be  has  served  as  school  trus- 
tee and  roadmaster.  He  has  now  passed  his  seventy-second  birthday,  is 
hale  and  hearty  and  in  the  possession  of  all  his  faculties.  He  has  always 
been  an  industrious  citizen  and  good  manager,  accumulating  a  handsome 
amount  of  property  to  enjoy  in  his  declining  years. 


WILLIAM  C.   LAWRENCE. 

In  viewing  the  mass  of  mankind  in  the  varied  occupations  of  life  the 
conclusion  is  forced  upon  the  observer  that  in  the  vast  majority  of  cases  men 
have  sought  employment  not  in  the  line  of  their  peculiar  fitness  but  in  that 
where  caprice  or  circumstances  has  placed  them,  thus  explaining  the  reason 
of  the  failure  of  ninety-five  per  cent,  of  those  who  enter  commercial  and  pro- 
fessional circles.  Mr.  Lawrence,  however,  has  a  strongly  developed  com- 
mercial instinct,  and  therefore  in  bis  business  life,  which  lies  along  that  line, 
he  has  prospered.  The  qualities  which  insure  success — perseverance,  indus- 
try and  capable  management — are  his,  and  they  have  been  strengthened  by 
wise  use  through  the  years  of  an  honorable  and  active  business  career. 

Mr.  Lawrence  was  born  May  6,  i860,  in   the  village  of  Ardsley,  where 
45 


706  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

he  now  makes  his  home,  and  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Hannah  T.  (Southanj 
Lawrence.  His  paternal  grandparents  were  William  and  Hannah  (Vincent) 
Lawrence,  and  the  former  was  born  in  the  town  of  Greenburg,  Westchester 
county,  where  he  followed  the  trade  of  blacksmithing  in  his  early  life,  aban- 
doning it  in  later  years  in  ord^r  to  devote  his  energies  to  farming,  which  con- 
tinued to  be  his  vocation  until  his  life  labors  were  ended  in  death,  abouf 
1880.  The  maternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  C.  T.  Southan,  was  of 
English  birth  and  came  to  this  country  in  1832.  He  established  a  meat 
market  at  Dobbs  Ferry,  in  1835,  and  for  forty  years  carried  on  business, — 
until  1875, — when  he  sold  out  to  his  son-in-law,  Daniel  Lawrence,  and  James 
E.  Southan.  He  resided  in  Ardsley,  but  carried  on  business  at  Dobbs 
Ferry. 

Daniel  Lawrence,  father  of  our  subject,  was  likewise  a  native  of  the 
town  of  Greenburg,  Westchester  county,  born  August  19,  1829.  He  learned 
the  butcher's  trade  under  the  direction  of  C.  T.  Southan,  in  whose  employ 
he  remained  for  twenty  years,  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  James  E. 
Southan  and  purchased  the  business.  After  three  years  the  partnership  was 
dissolved  by  mutual  consent.  Mr.  Lawrence  continued  the  business  alone 
for  fifteen  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son, 
William.  He  then  retired  to  private  life,  enjoying  the  rest  made  possible  by 
his  long  years  of  former  toil.  He  now  resides  in  Ardsley,  and  is  one  of  the 
directors  of  the  Dobbs  Ferry  Bank,  with  which  he  has  been  connected  in 
that  capacity  since  its  organization.  He  has  long  been  regarded  as  one  of 
the  most  prominent  and  influential  citizens  of  Ardsley,  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  its  affairs,  and  was  the  first  president  of  the  village,  having  served  in 
that  capacity  for  two  years.  He  was  for  twelve  years  school  trustee,  is  now 
school  treasurer,  and  was  appointed  by  Governor  Black  as  state  loan  com- 
missioner for  Westchester  county.  In  his  political  affiliations  he  has  always 
been  a  Republican,  and  stanchly  advocates  the  principles  of  his  party.  In 
1858  he  married  Miss  Hannah  T.  Southan,  a  daughter  of  Cornelius  T. 
and  Mary  E.  (Edwards)  Southan,  and  their  only  child  is  the  subject  of 
this  review. 

William  C.  Lawrence  acquired  his  preliminary  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Ardsley,  and  spent  one  year  in  the  high  school  of  Yonkers.  On 
laying  aside  his  text-books  he  entered  his  father's  employ,  was  his  assistant 
for  several  years,  and  when  the  latter  retired  from  business  became  his  suc- 
cessor as  proprietor  of  the  leading  meat  market  in  Dobbs  Ferry.  He  has 
also  established  a  market  at  Ardsley,  and  is  now  enjoying  a  very  large  and 
constantly  increasing  business.  He  has  great  energy,  and  his  well  directed 
and  honorable  efforts  have  brought  to  him  a  handsome  competence.  His 
reputation   for  reliable   dealing  is   most   enviable,   and   he  occupies   a  high 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  707 

position  in  business  circles.  He  is  a  man  of  resourceful  abilitj',  however, 
and  his  efforts  have  been  by  no  means  confined  to  one  line.  He  is  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  Ardsley  Ice  Company  and  a  director  of  the  Dobbs  Ferry 
Savings  Bank.  His  sound  judgment  in  business  matters  renders  his  service 
and  counsel  valuable,  and  insures  the  success  of  any  undertaking  with  which 
he  is  connected. 

On  the  7th  of  November,  1883,  Mr.  Lawrence  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Ella  J.  Ward,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Helen  Ward,  of  Williams 
Bridge.  They  have  one  child,  Ralph  Howard,  now  a  student  in  the  Yonkers 
schools.  Mr.  Lawrence  is  a  public-spirited  citizen,  and  he  quickly  notes  any 
measure  or  movement  intended  for  the  public  good,  forwarding  the  work  by 
his  aid  and  influence.  He  was  president  of  the  Ardsley  Hose  Company  for 
two  years,  is  a  member  of  Diamond  Lodge,  No.  555,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
Dobbs  Ferry,  is  president  of  the  Lyceum,  and  is  a  valued  representative  of 
the  Irvington  Pastime  Club.  In  his  political  views  he  has  always  been  a 
stalwart  Republican,  exercising  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the  men 
and  measures  of  the  Republican  party.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in  both 
local  and  state  politics  and  has  frequently  been  chosen  delegate  to  the  county, 
district  and  state  conventions  of  his  party.  He  has  been  receiver  of  taxes 
for  the  town  of  Greenburg  for  one  term  and  is  president  of  the  board  of 
health  of  Ardsley,  but  the  honors  or  emoluments  of  political  office  have  had 
no  great  attraction  for  him,  as  he  prefers  to  devote  his  energies  to  his  busi- 
ness interests,  in  which  he  has  met  with  signal  success.  He  is  a  recognized 
factor  in  commercial,  political  and  social  circles,  and  his  genial  manner  ren- 
ders him  very  popular  with  all. 


PELHAM  L.    McCLELLAN. 

It  is  an  important  duty  to  honor  and  perpetuate  as  far  as  is  possible  the 
memory  of  an  eminent  citizen, — one  who  has  conferred  honor  and  dignity 
upon  society.  As  a  successful  lawyer  Mr.  McClellan  was  for  many  years 
prominently  identified  with  the  affairs  of  Westchester  county.  Admitted  to 
the  bar,  he  at  once  entered  upon  practice,  and  from  the  beginning  was 
unusually  prosperous  in  every  respect.  The  success  that  he  attained  was  due 
to  his  own  efforts  and  merits.  The  possession  of  advantage  is  no  guaranty 
whatever  of  professional  success.  This  comes  not  of  itself,  nor  can  it  be 
secured  without  integrity,  ability  and  industry.  Those  qualities  he  possessed 
to  an  eminent  degree,  and  he  was  faithful  to  every  interest  committed  to  his 
charge.  Throughout  his  whole  life,  whatsoever  his  hand  found  to  do, 
whether  in  his  profession,  his  official  duties,  or  in  any  other  sphere,  he  did 
with  all  his  might  and  with  a  deep  sense  of  conscientious  obligation. 


708  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Mr.  McClellan  was  born  in  1832,  and  was  a  son  of  Hon.  William 
McClellan,  of  New  Rochelle.  After  attending  the  public  schools  of  that  place 
he  entered  the  collegiate  institute  of  William  Bryson,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  with  honor.  Soon  afterward  he  commenced  reading  law  in  the 
office  of  his  father,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1854.  The  same  year  he 
came  to  Mount  Vernon  and  entered  actively  upon  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion, with  his  main  office  at  that  place  and  an  additional  one  in  New  York 
city.  He  became  at  once  a  prominent  figure  in  local  affairs, — was  chosen 
clerk  of  the  young  village,  and  for  a  period  of  ten  years  served  in  the  dual 
capacity  as  clerk  and  attorney.  When  the  duties  had  grown  to  a  larger  vol- 
ume he  was  made  corporation  counsel,  and  he  served  his  neighbors  in  that 
sphere  at  different  periods  for  about  fifteen  years.  For  four  consecutive  years 
he  was  supervisor  of  the  town  of  East  Chester,  and  in  1862  was  elected  dis- 
trict attorney  of  Westchester  county. 

Politically  Mr.  McClellan  was  a  Democrat  of  strong  convictions;  his 
devotion  to  his  party  was  unswerving,  and  for  years  his  service  as  an  orator 
was  in  demand.  In  all  campaigns  of  his  day  he  made  speeches  throughout 
the  county,  and  older  citizens  speak  admiringly  of  his  forcible  and  convincing 
arguments.  He  was  a  man  of  high  intellectuality,  broad  human  sympathies 
and  tolerance,  imbued  with  fine  sensibilities  and  clearly  defined  principles. 
Honor  and  integrity  were  synonymous  with  his  name,  and  he  enjoyed  the 
respect,  confidence  and  high  regard  of  all  who  knew  him. 

Mr.  McClellan  married  Miss  Sarah  A.  Ferden,  who  survives  him,  and  to 
them  were  born  two  sons:  William  Wallace,  now  a  resident  of  Albuquerque, 
New  Mexico,  and  the  founder  of  the  Mount  Vernon  (New  York)  Argus;  and 
Clarence  S.,  who  is  a  prominent  citizen  of  Mount  Vernon,  and  who  is  presi- 
dent of  the  People's  Bank  and  a  director  of  several  other  corporations. 


THADDEUS  K.   GREEN. 


Thaddeus  K.  Green,  the  well  known  and  popular  proprietor  of  the 
Katonah  Hotel,  at  Katonah,  New  York,  and  a  successful  and  enterprising 
business  man,  is  a  native  of  Westchester  county,  born  in  Newcastle  town- 
ship, July  16,  1859.  His  parents  were  Alsoph  and  Hester  A.  Green.  His 
father,  whose  death  occurred  March  24,  1884,  was  for  many  years  one  of 
the  prominent  representatives  of  the  business  interests  of  the  county.  Early 
in  life  he  was  connected  with  a  cotton  mill,  later  was  proprietor  of  a  hotel 
and  prior  to  his  death  became  interested  in  dealing  in  real  estate.  Upright 
and  honorable  in  all  his  transactions  he  easily  won  the  confidence  and  friend- 
ship of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact,  and  no  man  in  the  community 
was  held  in  higher  regard  or  more  richly  deserves  the  esteem  of  his  fellow 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  709 

townsmen.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  personal  appearance,  weighing  about  two 
hundred  pounds.  Politically,  he  was  connected  with  the  Republican  party, 
and  socially  he  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His 
wife,  now  a  widow,  is  a  most  estimable  lady  who  proved  to  him  a  valuable 
helpmeet. 

Thaddeus  K.  Green  pursued  his  education  for  a  time  in  the  Claverick 
Institute  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  WiUiston  Academy  of  Eastham,  Massachu- 
setts. He  received  his  business  training  in  New  York  city,  and  on  returning 
to  Westchester  county  became  interested  in  the  hotel  business  in  Katonah. 
Being  frank  and  genial  in  manner  and  having  an  extended  acquaintance  in 
the  state,  he  soon  secured  a  liberal  patronage  and  is  now  one  of  the  most 
popular  hotel  proprietors  in  this  section.  In  company  with  Dr.  Carpenter, 
of  Katonah,  he  is  also  extensively  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business,  and  in 
this  venture  he  is  also  meeting  with  excellent  success. 

In  1880  Mr.  Green  wedded  Miss  Ida  M.  Sturges,  a  lady  of  culture  and 
refinement,  and  a  daughter  of  McFarland  Sturges.  They  now  have  one  son, 
Alsoph,  a  lad  of  fifteen  years.  Mr.  Green  is  a  prominent  Mason  and  in  his 
life  exemplifies  the  ennobling  principles  of  the  fraternity.  He  belongs  to 
the  blue  lodge,  chapter  and  commandery,  and  is  also  a  Noble  of  Mecca 
Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  In  politics  he  is  a  stalwart  Democrat,  and  in 
1895  was  the  candidate  of  his  party  for  representative  to  the  state  legislature. 
He  made  a  strong  canvass  and  ran  about  seven  hundred  votes  ahead  of  his 
ticket,  but  like  the  other  candidates  of  the  party  was  defeated,  his  opponent 
being  James  W.  Hunter,  of  Peekskill.  He  has  always  taken  an  active 
interest  in  political  affairs,  and  is  a  recognized  leader  in  the  ranks  of 
the  Democracy,  and  a  member  of  the  Democratic  Club  of  the  city  of  New 
York,  yet  is  popular  with  all  parties,  his  genuine  worth  winning  him  the 
friendship  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  is  brought  in  contact. 


JEREMIAH  T.  LOCKWOOD. 

Deeds  of  valor  and  of  heroism  have  been  the  theme  of  story  and  of 
song  from  the  earliest  ages,  and  tales  of  battle  have  stirred  the  blood  and  fired 
the  ambition  of  many  a  youth.  When  the  United  States  was  engaged  in 
civil  war  and  the  country  needed  the  support  of  all  her  loyal  sons,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review,  then  a  boy  in  years,  went  to  the  front  as  a  defender  of 
the  stars  and  stripes.  Thoughout  his  life  he  has  manifested  the  same 
loyalty  to  his  duties  of  citizenship  and  is  equally  firm  in  his  defense  of  a 
principle  in  which  he  believes,  so  that  at  all  times  and  in  all  places  he  com- 
mands the  respect  and  confidence  of  those  with  whom  he  is  associated. 


710  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Mr.  Lockwood  is  a  native  of  New  England,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  New  Canaan,  Connecticut,  in  1846.  On  the  paternal  side  he  is  descended 
from  good  old  Revolutionary  stock,  and  on  the  maternal  side  from  the 
French  Huguenots  who  sought  homes  and  liberty  of  conscience  in  America. 
The  founder  of  the  Lockwood  family  in  the  New  World  was  Robert  Lock- 
wood,  who  located  in  Watertown,  Massachuetts,  in  1630.  His  son.  Lieu- 
tenant Jonathan  Lockwood,  served  as  a  member  of  the  Connecticut  legisla- 
ture, and  was  also  a  member  of  the  committee  appointed  to  determine  the 
Connecticut  and  New  York  boundary  line.  Joseph  and  James  Lockwood 
were  prominent  actors  in  events  which  form  the  colonial  and  Revolutionary 
history  of  the  country,  and  Jacob  Lockwood  served  in  the  war  of  18 12:  so 
that  there  has  been  no  lack  of  patriotic  devotion  to  the  country  in  days  both 
of  peace  and  strife.  The  parents  of  our  subject  were  Jeremiah  T.  and  Jane 
(Sheragon)  Lockwood,  and  the  latter  was  of  Holland  descent. 

Jeremiah  T.  Lockwood,  Jr.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  spent  his  boy- 
hood days  in  his  native  town  and  in  New  York  city.  He  acquired  a  good 
practical  English  education  in  the  common  schools,  and  at  the  time  the  civil 
war  was  inaugurated  he  was  living  with  his  parents  in  Westchester  county. 
Fired  with  the  spirit  of  patriotism  and  loyalty,  all  through  the  summer  of 
1862  he  endeavored  to  obtain  the  consent  of  his  parents  to  his  enlistment. 
They,  however,  opposed  him.  They  already  had  one  son  at  the  front,  and 
believed  this  one  was  too  young  and  small  for  field  service.  "  Wait,"  they 
counseled;  but  while  he  was  waiting  the  country  was  having  a  hard  struggle 
to  preserve  the  Union  intact,  and  this  lad  of  sixteen  summers  could  not  con- 
tent himself  at  home.  Accordingly,  on  the  28th  of  August,  1862,  having 
been  sent  by  his  father  to  New  York  to  pay  an  insurance  policy,  he  stepped 
into  a  recruiting  office  and  enrolled  his  name  among  the  defenders  of  the 
Union.  Returning  home,  he  informed  his  parents  of  the  step  he  had  taken, 
and  though  they  wished  he  had  done  otherwise,  they  assisted  him  to  prepare 
to  go  to  the  front,  and  a  week  after  his  enlistment  he  was  assigned  to  Com- 
pany A,  Fourth  New  York  Heavy  Artillery,  at  Fort  Franklin,  Maryland,  in 
the  defense  of  Washington. 

The  headquarters  of  the  regiment  at  that  time  were  at  Fort  Ethan  Allen, 
Virginia.  In  December,  1862,  Mr.  Lockwood  went  with  his  company  to 
Fort  Marcy,  Virginia,  where  he  remained  until  March,  1864.  During  his 
entire  service  in  the  army  he  was  always  found  at  his  post  of  duty,  ready  for 
any  task  that  might  be  assigned  to  him,  with  the  exception  of  the  time  which 
he  spent  in  the  hospital  after  being  wounded,  and  during  a  short  furlough, 
which  was  granted  him  on  account  of  his  injuries.  He  was  in  all  the  battles 
in  which  his  company  engaged  from  the  Wilderness  to  Petersburg.  At  the 
latter  place  he  received  what  was  nearly  a  fatal  wound.      He  was  in  the  front 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.         ■  711 

of  the  army  on  the  i8th  of  June,  1864.  At  daj'break  his  company  charged 
through  a  cornfield  and  captured  one  line  of  works.  They  then  advanced 
out  upon  the  plank  road,  where  they  remained  until  twenty  minutes  after 
eleven,  when  the  order  came  to  charge  upon  the  last  works.  Together  they 
dashed  forward  in  the  second  charge.  Lockwood  was  a  little  in  advance, 
and  had  gone  about  fifty  feet  from  the  works,  when  he  was  struck  by  a  bullet, 
which  entered  his  right  side  between  the  second  and  third  ribs,  and,  passing 
through  the  body,  came  out  below  the  shoulder-blade.  The  line  advanced 
beyond  him,  and  finally  the  order  came  to  fall  back.  As  it  was  obeyed,  two 
of  his  comrades  helped  him  up  and  carried  him  into  the  works.  Upon 
this  spot  Fort  Hell,  opposite  Fort  Damnation,  was  afterward  built.  Mr. 
Lockwood  was  later  taken  to  the  Carver  United  States  General  Hospital, 
where  he  remained  until  the  end  of  the  war. 

On  leaving  home  his  mother  had  given  him  a  Testament,  which  he  car- 
ried in  his  inner  pocket,  and  which  is  still  in  his  possession, — stained  with 
the  blood  which  flowed  from  his  wound  on  the  day  of  the  attack  before  Peters- 
burg. On  the  28th  of  August,  1865,  just  three  years  after  his  enlistment,  he 
received  an  honorable  discharge,  the  war  having  ended,  and  his  term  having 
expired.  He  may  justly  be  proud  of  his  army  record,  as  it  is  that  of  a  brave 
and  loyal  soldier-boy,  whose  fearlessness  and  fidelity  equaled  that  of  many  a 
veteran  of  twice  his  years.  One  of  his  most  cherished  mementoes  is  a  letter 
from  his  old  commander.  General  Hancock,  dated  February  25,  1879,  writ- 
ten in  response  to  a  request  for  the  General's  photograph.  The  General  sent 
two,  and  said: 

They  are  the  best  I  have.  One  was  taken  in  1864, — about  January.  I  was  not  then  per- 
fectly well;  very  thin.  I  had  not  recovered  from  my  wound  of  Gettysburg,  the  previous  July 
3d.  The  second  was  taken  in  1866,  when  I  did  not  take  quite  so  much  exercise  as  during  the 
war.  I  was  then  stationed  in  Baltimore,  Maryland.  I  am  very  glad  to  comply  with  your  wish. 
I  always  have  a  warm  place  in  my  breast  for  men  who  served  under  and  with  me. 

I  am  very  truly  yours, 

WiNFiELD  Scott  Hancock. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Lockwood  returned  to  the  pursuits  of  civil 
life,  and  he  has  been  quite  successful  in  his  business  ventures.  Until  1880 
he  was  engaged  in  the  furniture  and  undertaking  business  with  Hoyt  Broth- 
ers, at  Katonah,  New  York,  and  now  has  a  fine  establishment  of  his  own  in 
White  Plains,  New  York.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  undertakers  of  West- 
chester county,  and  is  president  of  the  Undertakers'  Association  of  West- 
chester, Putnam  and  Rockland  counties.  His  business  career  is  character- 
ized by  the  strictest  integrity  and  straightforward  dealing,  and  by  his  well 
directed  efforts  he  has  acquired  a  comfortable  competence. 

Mr.  Lockwood  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1888,  to  Miss  Louisa  Carpen- 
ter,   daughter  of   Franklin  and    Helen   (Roberts)   Carpenter,    the  former  a 


712  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

native  of  Vermont  and  the  latter  of  Connecticut.      Mrs.  Lockwood  was  born 
in  Tiffin,  Ofiio,  and  by  her  marriage  she  has  one  son,  Richard  C. 

In  his  social  relations  Mr.  Lockwood  is  connected  with  McKeel  Post, 
No.  1 20,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Katonah,  New  York.  He  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Black  a  member  of  the  board  of  managers  of  the  State  Reformatory  for 
Women,  at  Bedford,  New  York,  in  1898,  but  has  never  otherwise  held  office, 
preferring  to  devote  his  energies  to  his  business.  He  is  a  valued  and 
esteemed  citizen  of  White  Plains,  prominent  in  business,  and  of  sterling 
worth  of  character. 

EDMUND    SCHOLLDERFER,  M.   D. 

Among  the  leading  members  of  the  medical  profession  of  Westchester 
county  is  numbered  this  gentleman,  whose  practice  in  Yorktown  Heights 
extends  over  a  period  of  about  fifteen  years.  He  is  a  great  student,  pos- 
sesses a  fine  medical  library  and  devotes  much  of  his  leisure  time  to  research 
and  reading  along  the  line  of  his  chosen  work.  Of  genial  manner  and  pleas- 
ing address,  he  impresses  a  new  acquaintance  favorably  from  the  start  and 
his  friends  are  legion.  He  takes  deep  interest  in  everything  pertaining  to 
medical  science  and  keeps  fully  abreast  of  modern  methods  of  treatment  of 
disease.  A  loyal  adherent  of  the  Republican  party  principles,  he  has  never 
aspired  to  public  honors,  but  does  his  duty  as  a  citizen  and  voter.  Socially, 
he  is  identified  with  Cortlandt  Lodge,  No.  34,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Peekshill. 

A  son  of  Leonard  and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Fisher)  Schollderfer,  both  natives 
of  Germany,  the  Doctor  was  born  in  Westchester  county,  December  31,  1855. 
His  father  died  some  years  ago,  in  1877,  but  the  mother  is  still  living,  her 
home  being  in  Yorktown.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  sons  and  four 
daughters,  two  of  whom  have  been  summoned  to  the  silent  land.  They 
are:  George,  who  married  Ella  Miller  and  resides  at  Highland  Station, 
Putnam  county,  New  York;  Emily,  Mrs.  William  Maguire,  also  of  Highland; 
Christina,  Mrs.  John  Denike,  also  a  resident  of  that  place;  Charlotte,  Mrs. 
Arthur  Smith,  of  Peekskill,  this  state;  Leonard,  who  resides  at  Mount  Kisco; 
and  Henry  and  Elizabeth,  deceased. 

After  completing  his  common-school  education  the  Doctor  attended  the 
Peekskill  Military  Academy  for  some  time,  and  about  1878  took  up  the  study 
of  medicine,  under  the  guidance  of  Dr.  John  K.  Tilden,  of  Peekskill,  New 
York,  for  one  year,  and  next  was  under  the  tuition  of  Ambrose  L.  Ranny, 
the  uncle  of  Professor  A.  L.  Loomis,  of  New  York  city.  He  then  pur- 
sued a  regular  course  of  lectures  and  studies  in  the  New  York  Med- 
ical University  and  was  duly  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine,  in  1881.  For  two  or  more  years  he  practiced  in  Peekskill,  and 
then  removed  to  his  present  home.      Here  he  has  gained  an  excellent  reputa- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  718 

tion  as  a  family  physician  and  finds  his  time  pretty  fully  occupied  in  attend- 
ing to  his  numerous  patients.  He  stands  well  with  his  medical  brethren  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Westchester  County  Medical  Society  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  church  and  is  an  active  worker  in  its  varied  branches 
of  usefulness.  He  is  an  officer  in  the  congregation  and  is  zealous  in  forward- 
ing the  best  interests  of  the  church.  February  21,  1889,  he  married  Mrs. 
Marietta  Tompkins,  a  widow,  a  daughter  of  John  B.  Tompkins,  but  death 
■claimed  her  upon  the  loth  of  March,   1891. 


ISAAC  R.   LOUNSBERRY. 

Every  nation  must  have  its  heroes,  but  it  is  to  its  quiet,  level-headed, 
honest-hearted  citizens  that  any  nation  must  owe  its  permanent  supremacy. 
There  is  as  much  heroism  in  work  as  in  war.  The  quality  of  intellect  that 
can  direct  a  battle  to  a  victorious  issue  might  not  be  equal  to  the  prolonged 
strain  of  a  fight  for  commercial  success.  Integrity  is  the  chief  store  in  the 
foundation  of  every  really  successful  business  career,  and  the  Writer  who 
records  such  success  may  work  to  better  purpose  than  he  knows.  Isaac  R. 
Lounsberry,  a  prominent  and  respected  citizen  of  Yorktown,  Westchester 
county,  was  a  man  whose  sound  corhmon  sense  and  able  and  vigorous  man- 
agement of  his  affairs  were  important  factors  in  his  success,  and  his 
undoubted  integrity  of  character  gave  him  an  honorable  position  among  his 
fellow  men. 

Mr.  Lounsberry  was  born  on  the  old  family  homestead  in  Yorktown 
township,  where  his  great-grandfather,  Henry  Lounsberry,  a  native  of  New 
York  city,  located  probably  before  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
Henry  Lounsberry  was  a  patriot  soldier  and  risked  his  life  in  the  Revolution- 
ary war  in  the  service  of  the  colonies.  His  son,  Henry  Lounsberry,  grand- 
father of  Isaac  R.  Lounsberry,  was  born  on  the  homestead  in  Yorktown 
township.  He  married  Miss  Jean  Covert,  a  representative  of  an  old  and 
prominent  family  of  Welsh  descent,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, the  youngest,  Henry,  Jr.,  being  the  father  of  Isaac  R.  The  mother  of 
these  children  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-one  years,  and  both  she 
and  her  husband  were  sincere  and  faithful  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church. 

Henry  Lounsberry,  Jr. ,  Isaac  R.  Lounsberry's  father,  was  born  and 
reared  on  the  old  Lounsberry  place  in  Yorktown  township,  and  lived  sixty- 
nine  years.  He,  too,  held  membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  he  was  a  life-long  adherent  to  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party. 
When  only  nineteen  he  married  Miss  Catherine  Quereau,  a  daughter  of  Elias 
•Quereau.      Mr.  Quereau  also  was  a  native  of  Westchester  county.      He  mar- 


714  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

ried  Charity  Rhodes,  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Rhodes,  once  a  man  of  prominence 
here.  To  Henry  and  Catherine  (Quereau)  Lounsberry  were  born  five  chil- 
dren, the  eldest  living  son  being  Isaac  R.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

On  the  old  homestead  Isaac  R.  Lounsberry  passed  his  early  life  like  most 
farmer  boys,  attending  the  local  schools  and  aiding  in  the  work  of  the  farm. 
When  only  thirteen  years  old  he  helped  put  up  the  first  telegraph  wires 
between  New  York  and  Jersey  City,  and  by  the  time  he  reached  the  age  of 
fifteen  he  had  saved  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  with  which  sum  he  pur- 
chased a  meat  market  at  Sing  Sing,  which  he  managed  successfully  for  six 
years.  In  1867  he  disposed  of  valuable  real-estate  interests  in  that  city  and 
established  a  clothing  business  there  which  he  conducted  for  some  time.  In 
1872  he  embarked  in  the  ice  business.  Subsequently  he  again  engaged  in  the 
clothing  trade  in  Sing  Sing  and  continued  in  it  for  twenty  years,  building  up 
a  large  trade  and  gaining  an  enviable  reputation  as  a  progressive  and  reliable 
merchant.  In  1896  he  purchased  the  home  farm,  making  many  improve- 
ments, and  there  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life,  which  terminated  Octo- 
ber 6,  1898. 

Mr.  Lounsberry  was  married  April  12,  1863,  to  Miss  Abbie  J.  Haight, 
daughter  of  James  E.  Haight,  of  Yorktown,  who  survives  him.  To  them 
were  born  five  children:  Sarah,  wife  of  Nelson  Laraway,  of  Catskill,  New 
York,  who  has  one  child,  named  Hope;  Catharine;  Ida,  widow  of  Henry 
Palmer  and  mother  of  three  children,  named  Mildred,  Amy  and  Eunice;  Jen- 
nie C. ;  and  Isaac  R. ,  Jr.,  who  married  Florence  Irene  Walker,  of  Sing  Sing, 
and  has  a  son  named  Isaac  R. ,  the  third  of  the  name  in  the  family  and  of  the 
third  generation  in  direct  descent. 

The  success  of  Mr.  Lounsberry  was  won  fairly  and  openly,  always  in  gen- 
erous competition.  It  came  to  him  because  he  inspired  confidence  in  men, 
and  they  trusted  him  and  dealt  with  him  because  they  knew  that  whatever 
he  offered  for  their  consideration  was  honest  and  worth  whatever  price  he 
put  on  it.  His  success  was  the  result,  too,  of  good  judgment,  of  wise  plans 
well  made  and  judiciously  carried  out,  and  of  diligence  in  business  and  tire- 
less and  exacting  devotion  to  every  interest  demanding  his  attention.  In  his 
political  affiliations  Mr.  Lounsberry  was  a  Democrat,  and  his  influence  in  the 
councils  of  his  party  was  considerable.  He  was  averse  to  accepting  public 
office,  but  was  several  times  chosen  to  local  offices  of  responsibility,  including 
those  of  trustee,  town  clerk  and  assessor.  While  he  was  not  a  member,  he 
was  an  avowed  adherent,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Popular  as  was  Mr.  Lounsberry  in  the  business,  political  and  social 
world,  it  was  in  his  private  relations  that  he  shone  brightest,  and  placed 
others  under  the  greatest  obligations.  Those  who  really  knew  the  man  knew 
that  he  was  not  only  a  good  and  loyal  citizen,  but  also  a  sympathetic  and  help- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  715- 

ful  neighbor  and  a  faithful  and  reliable  friend.  It  was  in  the  home  circle 
that  he  was  at  his  best,  and  there  he  is  mourned  most  deeply.  He  was  a 
kind  and  loving  husband  and  indulgent  father.  To  him  home  was  a  sacred 
place,  and  his  affection  warmed  everything  within  its  walls.  There  was  noth- 
ing that  he  thought  too  good  for  it,  and  it  was  his  delight  to  supply  it  with 
every  comfort  and  luxury  at  his  command. 


IRA  McKEEL. 


The  well  known  and  popular  postmaster  of  Purdy  Station,  Westchester 
county,  is  Ira  McKeel,  who  has  for  many  years  been  prominently  identified 
with  its  commercial  interests.  He  embarked  in  business  at  that  place  on  a 
small  scale,  but  steadily  and  honorably  worked  his  way  upward  until  he 
attained  a  fair  degree  of  prosperity,  and  won  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact,  either  in  business  or  social  life. 

A  native  of  Westchester  county,  Mr.  McKeel  was  born  in  East  Chester 
township,  April  26,  1846,  and  is  a  son  of  Michael  McKeel,  Jr.,  whose  birth 
also  occurred  in  this  county,  as  did  also  the  birth  of  the  latter's  father, 
Michael  McKeel,  Sr. ,  who  was  of  German  descent.  Michael  McKeel,  Jr., 
wedded  Sarah  Schotts,  a  native  of  this  county,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  five  children,  namely:  Oscar,  Mrs.  Josephine  Buckhout,  Mrs.  Sarah 
Tompkins,  Michael  (deceased),  and  Ira,  our  subject.  The  father  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  was  a  Democrat  in  politics.  He  died  at 
the  age  of  fifty-five  years,  and  the  mother  departed  this  life  at  Pleasantville,, 
this  county,  at  the  age  of  ninety  years. 

Ira  McKeel  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  the  neighborhood  and  the  Jonesville  Academy.  He  began 
his  business  career  as  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  W.  E.  Schotts,  of  Mamaroneck, 
this  county,  and  later  became  a  partner  in  the  business.  In  1867  he  opened 
a  small  store  at  Purdy  Station,  which  he.  successfully  conducted  for  thirty 
years,  building  up  an  excellent  trade  by  fair  and  honorable  dealing.  He  has 
always  been  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Democratic 
party,  and  for  six  years  he  has  served  as  postmaster  at  Purdy  Station,  to  the 
entire  satisfaction  of  the  many  patrons  of  the  office.  Religiously  he  and  his 
family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  church. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  Mr.  McKeel  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
D.  Flewellyn,  at  Mount  Kisco,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Purdy) 
Flewellyn,  and  to  them  were  born  three  children:  Clara,  now  the  wife  of  N. 
H.  Miner,  a  merchant  of  Purdy  Station;  Mortimer,  who  is  now  at  Yorktown, 
this  county;  and  Niles,  who  is  also  at  Yorktown,  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business. 


716  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 


CHARLES  E.   YOUNG,  M.   D. 

Dr.  Young,  of  White  Plains,  New  York,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  New 
Tork,  August  27,  1858.  He  traces  his  ancestral 'history  back  to  the  year 
1573.  when  Edmund  Greenleaf  was  born  in  England.  His  maternal  grand- 
father, Moses  Greenleaf,  entered  the  Revolutionary  army  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen, as  lieutenant,  became  captain  in  1776,  and  served  throughout  the  war. 
His  grandfather,  Elisha  White  Young,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  18 12,  and 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  western  New  York.  As  an  architect,  many  of  the 
■public  buildings  of  Mayville,  Chautauqua  county,  and  vicinity,  are  monuments 
to  his  memory.  The  Doctor's  father,  Elisha  Scott  Young, — like  himself  a 
self-made  man, — was  a  successful  New  York  city  lawyer. 

His  mother  is  the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Greenleaf,  D.  D.,  who 
founded  the  Franklin  Avenue  Presbyterian  church,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York, 
after  he  was  fifty  years  of  age,  and  subsequently  was  its  pastor  for  twenty-two 
years.  She  is  also  a  niece  of  Hon.  Simon  Greenleaf,  who  was  professor  of 
law  at  Harvard  University,  and  author  of  "  Greenleaf  on  Evidence;"  is  also  a 
great-granddaughter  of  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Parsons,  D.  D.,  of  Newburyport, 
Massachusetts,  at  whose  house  that  prince  of  preachers,  George  Whitefield, 
died,  and  the  remains  of  both  men  now  rest  side  by  side  under  the  old  South 
<:hurch,  over  which  Jonathan  Parsons  was  pastor.  Connection  with  these 
illustrious  New  England  families  relates  Dr.  Young  to  the  poets  Whittier  and 
Longfellow  and  to  a  long  line  of  distinguished  ancestry. 

Dr.  Charles  Elisha  Young  was  left  fatherless  at  the  age  of  five  years,  and 
the  family  was  later  in  dependent,  circumstances,  owing  to  the  mismanage- 
ment of  his  father's  valuable  estate.  A  part  of  his  early  education  was 
obtained  in  public  school  No.  12,  Brooklyn,  and  at  Nyack,  New  York;  and  at 
the  age  of  fifteen  he  engaged  as  an  errand  boy  in  New  York  city,  at  a  salary 
•of  three  dollars  per  week.  Feeling  the  necessity  of  further  education,  after 
drifting  about  in  various  menial  positions  he  devoted  his  spare  time  to  the 
study  of  preliminaries,  using  as  an  aid  the  evening  sessions  of  the  Brooklyn 
public  schools,  and  in  September,  1877,  entered  the  Massachusetts  Agricult- 
ural College,  where,  after  two  years  of  special  study,  he  determined  to  fol- 
low the  lead  of  his  ancestry  and  enter  professional  life.  Early  in  1879  he 
commenced  the  study  of  medicine,  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Charles  S. 
Cahoon,  of  Lyndon,  Vermont,  doing  chores  for  his  board,  and  in  March,  1880, 
having  been  awarded  a  scholarship,  commenced  his  first  course  of  lectures  in 
the  medical* department  of  the  University  of  Vermont,  at  Burlington.  The 
following  September  found  him  in  New  York  city,  an  almost  total  stranger, 
with  very  limited  resources.  He  matriculated  in  the  medical  department  of 
ihe  University  of  the  City  of  New  York,  from  which  he  graduated  March  7, 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  717 

1882,  and  immediately  entered  upon  tlie  practice  of  medicine  in  that  city.  He 
soon  acquired  a  large  and  lucrative  practice,  and  is  well  and  favorably  known« 
in  the  profession. 

Dr.  Young  was  elected  a  Resident  Fellow  of  the  New  York  Academy  of 
Medicine  March  i,  1888;  a  member  of  the  New  York  Physicians'  Mutual  Aid 
Association,  March  13,  1888;  and  a  member  of  the  Medical  Society  of  the 
County  of  New  York,  March  24,  1890.  He  was  appointed  to  the  stafT  of 
attending  physicians  to  the  Northeastern  Dispensary,  December  13,  1883, 
and  also  served  on  the  staff  of  attending  physicians  to  the  New  York  Found- 
ling Asylum  during  the  summer  of  1885.  Dr.  Young  early  became  expert  in 
the  fields  of  obstetrics,  gynecology  and  paediatrics,  and  has  written  articles 
upon  subjects  in  these  lines,  and  has  made  various  contributions  to  the  sub- 
ject of  medical  charity,  and  has  written  other  papers  both  within  and  outside 
of  the  field  of  medicine. 

Continuing  in  the  religious  belief  of  his  fathers.  Dr.  Young  was  ordained 
to  the  office  of  deacon  in  the  Central  Presbyterian  church,  of  New  York  city,- 
December  13,  1885,  and  served  as  secretary  of  the  board  until  he  removed 
his  residence  to  White  Plains,  September  7,  1893,  his  removal  here  being 
largely  on  account  of  the  health  of  his  family. 

Of  late  years  Dr.  Young  has  devoted  most  of  his  time  to  the  study  and 
treatment  of  chronic  diseases,  retaining  a  city  office  for  the  treatment  of  cases 
in  this  special  field. 

Dr.  Young  is  the  present  noble  grand  of  Hebron  Lodge,  No.  229,  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  regent  of  White  Plains  Council, 
No.  1762,  Royal  Arcanum.  He  is  also  medical  examiner  for  several  life  and 
accident  insurance  companies.  He  has  been  instrumental  in  the  education  of 
several  young  men  and  women.  For  his  scientific  attainments  the  Massa- 
chusetts Agricultural  College  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Science,  and  he  is  now  president  of  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College- 
Club  of  New  York.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Alpha  Chapter  of  the  Phi  Sigma 
Kappa  fraternity. 

Dr.  Young  married  Miss  Carrie  T.  Dinnis,  New  York  city,  September- 
13,  1888.     They  have  one  child,  Florence  Greenleaf  Young. 


DANIEL  MAPES. 


Southold,  Long  Island,  is  one  of  the  oldest  English  towns  in  the  state, 
having  been  settled  in  the  fall  of  1640.  Among  the  earliest  of  the  settlers 
was  Thomas  Mapes,  of  English  descent,  the  ancestor  of  the  many  families  of 
the  name  found  in  various  portions  of  the  country.  Thomas  Mapes  was  not 
only  one  of  the  pioneers  in  Soathold,  but  was   also  interested   in    the  settle- 


718  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

ment  of  the  town  of  Brookhaven,  Long  Island,  and  had  a  share  in  the  vari- 
ous divisions  of  land  in  that  town.  He  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  William 
Furrier,  also  among  the  first  settlers  of  Southold.  In  1683  Thomas  Mapes 
was  made  freeman  of  the  colony  of  Connecticut,  of  which  Southold  was  a 
part  at  that  time.  He  was  taxed  for  two  hundred  and  forty-four  pounds, 
which  shows  him  to  have  been  a  man  of  means.  He  went  to  Brookhaven  in 
in  1655,  but  returned  to  Southold  in  1657,  and  died  there  in  1686.  He  pos- 
sessed much  land  in  Southold  and  one  part,  known  as  "  Mapes'  Neck,"  was 
owned  by  his  descendants  for  three  generations.  He  left  nine  children, — 
Thomas,  William,  Jabez,  Jonathan,  Abigail  (wife  of  John  Terrell),  Sarah 
(wife  of  William  Coleman),  Mary  (wife  of  Barnabas  Wines);  Noami,  and 
Rebecca  (wife  of  Thomas  Young,  son  of  Rev.  John  Young,  the  first  minister 
of  Southold). 

These  children  have  a  large  number  of  descendants.  Jonathan,  the 
fourth  son,  was  born  in  1671  and  died  in  1747.  He  married  Hester  Horton 
in  1696  and  had  two  sons, — Jonathan  and  Benjamin. 

Jonathan  was  the  father  of  John  Mapes,  born  March  10,  1766,  and  mar- 
Tied  Julia  Ann  Wood,  January  24,  1793.  Their  children  were:  Samuel,  born 
June  19,  1794,  who  has  no  living  descendants;  Anna,  born  December  7,  1796, 
who  died  unmarried;  Daniel,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  born  February  23, 
1800;  John,  born  September  10,  1802,  who  had  two  daughters,  Charlotte  and 
Caroline;  Leonard,  born  November  16,  1804;  Benjamin,  born  March  24, 
1810  (he  left  three  children:  Cornelia,  wife  of  Theodore  Fitch,  Emily,  wife 
of  Frederick  Strang,  and  Charles,  who  married  Clara  Masters);  James,  born 
October  7,  1812,  married  Rachel  Archer  and  had  four  children, — Leonard, 
John  A. ,  Emily  and  Anna.  John  Mapes,  the  father  of  this  family,  died  in 
1836,  and  his  wife  died  in  1840. 

After  the  death  of  the  parents,  Daniel  Mapes  and  his  sister  Anna,  owing 
to  their  age  and  great  decision  of  character,  became  the  acknowledged  heads 
of  the  family,  and  by  their  industry,  perseverance  and  integrity  exerted  a  very 
salutary  influence  in  the  community  in  which  they  resided.  In  early  life 
Daniel  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  in  the  village  of  West  Farms,  and  for 
half  a  century  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  successful  business  men  in 
the  southern  portion  of  the  county,  amassing  a  large  fortune,  which  he  dis- 
pensed in  the  latter  years  of  his  life  in  acts  of  benevolence  and  charity,  mak- 
ing liberal  contributions  to  the  educational  institutions  of  the  Reformed  church 
at  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  Cornell  University  and  the  Syrian  College 
at  Beyroot.  From  his  early  youth  he  was  noted  for  strictly  temperate 
habits,  to  which  he  attributed  his  uninterrupted  good  health  for  more  than 
.four-score  years. 

He  was  for  many  years  a  useful  and   honored  member  of  the  Reformed 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  719 

church  at  West  Farms  and  manifested  his  attachment  to  it  by  his  liberal  con- 
tributions to  its  support.  On  the  20th  of  January,  1884,  he  fell  asleep  in 
Christ,  full  of  years,  riches  and  honors,  and  was  buried  in  Woodlawn 
cemetery. 


LEVI  W.   FLAGG. 


Dr.  Levi  Wells  Flagg  was  born  in  West  Hartford,  Connecticut,  Febru- 
ary 14,  1 8 17.  After  receiving  a  thorough  primary  education  he  became  a 
student  of  Yale  College,  where  he  graduated  in  1839.  Among  his  class- 
mates were  Charles  Astor  Bristed  and  John  Sherman,  of  New  York;  Rev. 
Francis  Wharton  and  Hon.  H.  L.  Dawes,  of  Massachusetts;  ex-Governor 
Hall,  of  Missouri;  Professor  J.  D.  Whitney,  of  Cahfornia,  the  eminent  chem- 
ist and  geologist;   and  others  who  became  distinguished. 

After  graduating,  he  went  south  and  spent  three  years  in  teaching  in  St. 
Francisville,  Louisiana.  Returning  to  his  native  place,  in  1842,  he  studied 
medicine  for  a  year  with  Dr.  Pinckney  W.  Ellsworth.  At  the  expiration  of 
that  time,  removing  to  New  York  city,  he  entered  the  office  of  Professor 
Willard  Parker,  with  whom  he  remained  two  years.  In  1847  he  graduated 
at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  in  the  following  year  estab- 
lished himself  in  Yonkers  as  a  physician  of  the  "regular"  school.  Shortly 
afterward  he  was  induced  to  investigate  homeopathy,  the  result  being  a  con- 
viction, as  he  said,  of  its  superiority  over  the  old  system  of  practice.  He  at 
once  became  its  strong  advocate  and  the  pioneer  practitioner  in  the  country. 
His  success  in  introducing  the  new  system  was  most  marked;  he  grew  rapidly 
in  favor  with  the  community,  acquiring  wealth  and  a  pre-eminent  position 
among  the  physicians  of  the  locality.  Notwithstanding  his  change  of  pro- 
fessional faith,  the  relations  between  himself  and  his  old  teacher.  Professor 
Parker,  greatly  to  the  honor  of  the  latter,  ever  continued  of  the  most  friendly 
character. 

Dr.  Flagg  avoided  politics  entirely,  and  never  held  any  public  office 
of  a  political  character.  He  always  devoted  himself  wholly  to  his  profes- 
sion, in  which  he  was  a  zealous  and  untiring  worker,  a  portion  of  a  year  spent 
in  Europe,  and  a  short  time  in  Mexico,  being  almost  the  only  relaxation  he 
allowed  himself  between  the  commencement  of  his  practice  and  his  death,  on 
May  1$,  1884.  When,  in  1865,  the  Westchester  County  Homeopathic 
Medical  Society  was  organized,  he  was  elected  its  president,  and  held  that 
office  for  three  years.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of 
Homeopathy. 

Dr.  Flagg  was  married,  on  May  17,  1848,  to  Charlotte  Whitman,  of 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  and  they  had   eight   children,  five  of  whom  survived 


720  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

him:    Howard  W.,  Marietta  W.,  Lucy  W.,  George  A.  and  Robert  N.  Flagg, 
M.  D.,  who  succeeded  to  the  practice  of  his  father. 

It  is  with  great  pleasure  that  we  present  our  readers  with  the  above 
brief  sketch  of  one  of  the  most  popular  and  successful  physicians,  as  well 
as  most  useful  and  upright  citizens,  that  it  has  ever  been  the  good  fortune 
of  Westchester  county  to  possess.  Dr.  Flagg  came  to  Yonkers  when  the 
village  was  in  its  infancy,  and  for  thirty-six  years  he  watched  its  develop- 
ment and  growth.  No  one  was  or  could  be  better  known  than  he.  By  his 
steadfast  integrity,  his  professional  ability  and  his  genial  and  winning  manner 
he  won  for  himself  the  respect  of  the  business  community,  an  extensive  and 
lucrative  practice  and  a  high  social  standing.  His  death  not  only  created 
a  vacancy  beside  the  family  hearth,  but  was  also  a  loss  to  the  city  and  county 
in  which  he  lived. 

WILLIAM  H.  BELL. 

The  name  forming  the  caption  of  this  sketch  is  a  household  appellation 
in  the  village  of  Pleasantville  and  town  of  Mount  Pleasant,  Westchester 
county.  New  York.  Indeed,  perhaps  no  man  in  the  town  is  better  known 
than  William  H.  Bell.  For  more  than  two-score  years  he  has  been  interested 
officially  in  its  educational  matters,  having  served  as  school  trustee  and  presi- 
dent of  the  school  board  twenty-one  years,  and  in  every  way  he  has  had  at  heart 
the  highest  welfare  of  its  people. 

Mr.  Bell  was  born  October  5,  1837,  in  the  town  of  North  Castle,  a  son. 
John  and  Mary  E.  (Slagle)  Bell.  His  father  was  a  native  of  England  and 
his  mother  of  New  York  state.  Both  are  deceased.  He  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade.  Of  their  ten  children  only  four  are  now  living.  William  H.,  our 
subject,  had  no  other  educational  advantages  than  those  afforded  by  the  pub- 
lic schools,  and  those  only  for  a  few  months.  On  reaching  manhood  h& 
chose  the  occupation  of  shoemaking,  which  he  had  learned  when  a  boy  and 
which  he  has  followed  mostly  ever  since.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  Pleas- 
antville ever  since  1853,  interested  in  the  public  welfare  of  the  community. 
In  shoe-manufacturing  he  has  employed  as  many  as  seventy  hands  at  a  time, 
being  the  leader  in  this  line  at  Pleasantville.  Having  learned  his  trade  whea 
in  youth,  he  was  twenty-six  years  of  age  when  he  established  his  business  in 
Pleasantville,  in  1863. 

In  1897  the  village  was  incorporated,  and  he  became  its  first  president, 
and  he  is  still  a  member  of  its  board  of  trustees,  and  he  has  filled  other 
important  local  offices.  He  has  also  served  as  delegate  to  several  conven- 
tions. The  duties  of  his  public  positions  he  has  ever  taken  pride  in  execut- 
ing faithfully.  He  was  formerly  a  Democrat  in  his  views  of  national  policy,, 
but  he  is  now  a  Prohibitionist. 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  721 

Mr.  Bell  was  married  November  20,  1861,  to  Miss  Phcebe  Palmer  Far- 
rington,  the  daughter  of  George  W.  and  Susan  E.  (Clark)  Farrington,  and 
they  have  had  five  children,  namely:  Charles  F.,  George  W. ,  William  H., 
Jr.,  Frank  and  Hattie.  For  the  past  twenty-five  years  their  home  has  been 
on  the  Bedford  road,  where  they  enjoy  life  on  their  handsome  property.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bell  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Pleasant- 
ville.  Mr.  Bell  served  on  the  board  of  trustees  of  his  church  for  over  twenty- 
five  years,  as  treasurer  for  twenty  years,  and  is  at  present  a  steward,  which, 
office  he  has  held  for  many  years. 


ALEXANDER  SMITH. 


The  notoriety  of  this  gentleman  is  connected  mainly  with  the  founding 
of  the  great  carpet  mills  at  Yonkers.  As  the  threads  are  woven  and  inter- 
woven in  the  fabrics  manufactured  at  the  great  Alexander  Smith  &  Sons' 
Carpet  Mills,  so  the  threads  of  the  history  of  its  founder  are  woven  and  inter- 
woven in  the  history  of  this  enormous  industry.  Since  its  inauguration  in 
this  city,  it  has  not  only  been  making  carpets:  it  has  also  been  making  Yon- 
kers. Employing  as  it  does  to-day  about  four  thousand  operatives,  it  serves 
to  maintain  and  support  almost  one-third  of  the  entire  population  of  the  city. 
Certainly  the  founder  of  such  an  enterprise  is  worthy  of  the  enduring  affec- 
tion and  honor  of  all  the  citizens  of  the  Terrace  City. 

Alexander  Smith  was  born  near  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  October  14,  1818. 
His  father,  Nathaniel  Smith,  was  a  farmer,  and  his  early  years  were  spent 
"  close  to  nature's  heart,"  where  he  gained  a  rugged  constitution  and  acquired 
that  energy  and  perseverance  which  characterized  all  his  efforts  in  after  life. 
When  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age  his  father  moved  to  West  Farms,  New 
York,  where  he  opened  a  small  country  store,  and  here  the  boy  had  his  first 
experience  in  mercantile  pursuits.  For  nine  years  he  worked  with  his  father, 
becoming  during  that  time  postmaster  and  colonel  of  the  local  militia.  In 
1845,  having  watched  with  the  interest  of  an  inventive  mind  the  small  carpet 
factory  at  West  Farms,  owned  by  James  W.  Mitchell,  then  employing 
twenty-five  hand  looms,  he  purchased  the  property  and  turned  all  his  energy 
and  interest  to  the  development  of  this  infant  industry.  At  first  the  enter- 
prise did  not  prove  a  success,  and  after  operating  the  factory  for  several 
years  he  closed  its  doors  and  went  to  Schenectad}',  where  he  remained  for  six 
months  as  superintendent  of  a  similar  institution.  Returning  to  West  Farms 
he  reopened  his  factory,  experimenting  with  looms  for  the  manufacture  of 
tapestry  ingrain  carpets,  for  which  he  secured  patents.  These  carpets  were 
the  principal  product  of  the  mill  for  a  number  of  years.  He  carried  on  busi- 
ness in  a  modest  way  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion  in   1861. 


46 


722  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  here  the  development  of  the  Axminster  loom, 
which  was  ultimately  to  give  the  firm  a  world-wide  reputation.  Its  unfore- 
seen, undreamed-of  beginning  was  due  to  the  meeting,  during  the  winter  of 
1849-50,  of  Halcyon  Skinner  and  Mr.  Smith.  Mr.  Skinner  had  become 
known  to  Mr.  Smith  as  a  skillful  artisan,  and  the  carpet  manufacturer 
applied  to  the  young  carpenter  for  aid  in  designing  and  making  the  machin- 
ery. In  1856  Mr.  Skinner  obtained  a  patent  conjointly  with  Mr.  Smith,  and 
an  experimental  loom  was  constructed.  Changes  and  improvements  were 
made  at  frequent  intervals,  and  in  i860  a  quite  complete  and  satisfactory 
loom  was  in  operation.  From  this  time  on  constant  improvements  were 
effected  until,  in  1871,  Mr.  Smith  conceived  the  idea  of  inventing  a  power 
loom  for  weaving  moquette  carpets,  thus  producing  a  fabric  equal  to 
Axminster  and  costing  considerably  less.  With  the  aid  of  Mr.  Skinner  this 
was  accomplished,  and  the  large  moquette  mill  on  Nepperhan  avenue  stands 
to  commemorate  this  successful  venture. 

The  following,  taken  from  an  old  journal,  will  indicate  the  early  develop- 
ment and  promise  of  the  factory  at  West  Farms:  "One  could  scarcely 
expect  to  find  in  the  village  of  West  Farms  an  incipient  rival,  in  carpet- 
making,  to  the  imperial  French  carpet  factory  of  the  Savonnerie,  or  of  the 
Gobelins.  It  is  nevertheless  true.  Alexander  Smith,  of  that  place,  exhibits 
a  power  loom  for  weaving  tufted  pile  carpeting  similar  to  that  now  produced 
by  hand  and  called  Axminster  or  Wilton.  This  factory  makes  twenty-five 
yards  of  carpet  a  day,  or  two  yards  an  hour. "  In  striking  contrast  with 
these  figures  is  the  present  output  of  nearly  forty-two  thousand  yards  per 
day,  or  twelve  million  yards  per  annum.  But  the  experience  at  West  Farms 
was  not  one  of  unbroken  prosperity;  indeed,  had  it  not  been  for  the  indomit- 
able perseverance  and  pluck  of  the  young  manufacturer  through  these  early 
years  of  misfortune,  the  enterprise  must  have  failed.  At  the  breaking  out  of 
the  war  he  sustained  large  losses  in  the  south,  causing  temporary  financial 
embarrassment,  from  which,  however,  he  quickly  recovered. 

In  1862,  at  a  time  when  everything  seemed  to  presage  success,  a  fire 
destroyed  his  entire  plant,  the  only  thing  saved  being  the  American  flag  that 
was  preserved  to  wave  over  one  of  the  largest  of  America's  industries.  Mr. 
Smith  immediately  rebuilt  and  again  set  himself  to  the  task  of  perfecting  the 
loom  for  tufted  carpets,  the  model  of  which  had  been  completely  destroyed 
by  the  fire.  Only  two  years  elapsed  before  another  conflagration  swept  away 
his  second  factory,  destroying  the  loom,  now  almost  perfect,  over  which 
years  of  labor  had  been  spent!  He  said  of  these  first  twelve  years  of  his 
experience,  so  full  of  trial  and  adversity,  of  anxiety  and  patient  affort,  that 
they  were  spent  in  bringing  this  second  invention  to  the  state  which  he  could 
rely  on  for  future  success.      "Tried  by  fire,"  he  stood  the  test,  and  out  of 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  723 

the  trial  came  the  strong,  firm,  undaunted  man,  who  could  fashion  and  plan 
an  enterprise  which  was  to  be  the  grandest  of  its  kind  on  the  western  hemis- 
phere. "Wise  men  ne'er  sit  and  wail  their  losses."  Alexander  Smith  was 
one  of  those  sagacious  men  who  are  "better  made  by  ill."  It  was  this  last 
fire  of  1864  that  resulted  in  his  moving  his  interests  from  West  Farms  to 
Yonkers.  "Ill  blows  the  wind  that  profits  no  one."  Thus  it  is  that,  as  a 
result  of  the  twin  disasters  at  the  place  where  he  had  first  ventured  his  fort- 
unes, he  determined  to  transfer  the  operations  of  his  business  interests  to 
Yonkers.  In  1864  he  purchased  the  property  which  comprises  part  of  that 
formerly  occupied  by  the  Waring  Hat  Factory.  This  was  the  beginning  of 
an  enterprise  which  was  destined  to  bring  more  of  the  laboring  classes  to 
this  community,  and  to  maintain  more  than  any  other  work  established  here 
has  accomplished.  Nearly  thirty-two  years  have  elapsed  since  its  inception. 
Further  on  will  be  found  a  sketch  showing  the  development  of  the  different 
mills,  together  with  statistics   relating  to  their  production  and  proportions. 

We  return  again  to  the  career  of  Mr.  Smith.  He  was  married  when 
quite  young  to  Miss  Jane  Baldwin,  daughter  of  Major  Ebenezer  Baldwin,  who 
was  a  well  known  resident  of  Yonkers.  He  had  two  children,  who  are  still 
residents  of  Yonkers, — Warren  B.  Smith,  who  succeeded  his  father  as  presi- 
dent of  the  carpet  company,  and  Eva  S.,  now  the  wife  of  William  F.  Cochran. 
He  married,  a  second  time,  a  Miss  Thomas,  of  Baltimore,  Maryland. 

Mr.  Smith  was  the  first  president  of  St.  John's  Hospital,  and  was  also  a 
member  of  the  board  of  education.  With  the  great  cares  which  his  large 
business  interests  laid  upon  him,  he  was  ever  sensible  of  and  responsive  to 
the  call  which  his  duty  as  a  citizen  involved.  He  took  an  active,  personal 
interest  in  matters  pertaining  to  the  city's  welfare.  He  was  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican, and  was  a  candidate  for  mayor  of  the  city  in  1874,  but  was  defeated  by 
his  Democratic  opponent,  Joseph  Masten,  by  a  small  majority.  In  1878,  he 
was  nominated  by  his  party  for  congressman  from  his  district,  and  after  a 
vigorous  personal  campaign,  was  elected  by  a  very  large  majority.  It  was 
the  crowning  recognition  of  his  talents  and  ability  tendered  by  those  who  had 
known  him  most  intimately  for  years,  but  it  was  the  crowning  which  was 
bestowed  at  the  goal  of  a  life  successful  beyond  measure,  filled  to  the  full 
with  activity,  honored  and  beloved  by  all  who  had  the  good  fortune  to  know 
him,  for  he  died  on  the  eve  of  his  election  November  5,  1878,  at  the  age  of 
sixty.  The  suddenness  of  his  death  at  a  time  when  he  was  apparently  about 
to  enter  upon  a  new  and  larger  field  of  usefulness  caused  the  most  wide- 
spread disappointment  and  sorrow.  The  loss  of  no  citizen  of  Yonkers  has 
been  more  deeply  and  sincerely  mourned  than  that  of  Alexander  Smith.  On 
the  day  of  his  funeral,  by  unanimous  argeement,  all  the  stores  were  closed 
and  the  flags  all  over  the  city  hanging  at  half-mast  betokened  the  passing 


724  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

away  of  one  of  Yonkers'  most  distinguished  citizens.  A  few  days  after  liis 
death  a  memorial  service  was  held  at  Washburn  (now  Music)  hall,  when 
addresses  were  delivered  expressive  of  the  love  and  sympathy  of  the  people. 
No  words  could  more  fittingly  conclude  the  sketch  of  Mr.  Smith's  life  than 
those  uttered  by  William  Allen  Butler  on  that  occasion.  He  said:  "When 
we  stand  by  the  bier,  or  near  the  bier,  of  such  a  man  as  we  mourn  to- 
night, we  reassure  ourselves,  we  take  courage,  we  reassert  the  supremacy  of 
conscience  in  the  sphere  of  the  human  relations,  and  we  take  satisfaction 
and  solace  in  the  memory  of  the  good  and  benevolent  actions  which  belonged 
to  such  a  life,  which  death  cannot  destroy  and  which  smell  sweet  and 
blossom  in  the  dust." 

The  Alexander  Smith  &  Sons'  Carpet  Company's  Mills  of  to-day  deserve 
here  an  extended  notice.  The  carpets  manufactured  by  the  Alexander  Smith 
&  Sons'  Carpet  Company,  are  divided  into  two  classes,  viz. :  Tapestry  Brus- 
sels and  tapestry  velvets,  and  moquette  or  Axminster,  the  two  latter  being 
practically  the  same  weave  and  embracing  the  grades  known  as  Savonnerie, 
ne  p/us  ulira  a.nd  nonpdneil, — the  variation  in  closeness  of  texture  and  the 
quality  of  the  woolen  yarns  used  being  the  essential  difference.  The  tapestry 
goods  require  for  their  production  the  joint  efforts  of  three  distinct  mills, 
which  are  known  by  the  names  of  the  worsted  spinning-mill,  printing-mill  or 
"drum  "  room,  and  the  setting,  weaving  and  finishing  departments,  common- 
ly known  in  Yonkers  as  the  tapestry  mill. 

The  worsted  mill  is  located  on  the  Sawmill  river  road,  close  to  the  Oak- 
land cemetery's  main  entrance,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Nepperhan  river. 
This  plant  consists  of  one  main  structure  of  brick,  three  stories  and  base- 
ment, five  hundred  by  fifty-three  feet;  a  two-story  picker  room,  seventy-four 
by  fifty  feet,  and  two  separate  systems  for  wool  washing  and  drying  contained 
in  buildings  of  one  and  two  stories;  one  hundred  and  thirty  by  eighty  feet 
and  one  hundred  and  twenty  by  one  hundred,  exclusive  of  boiler  and  engine 
rooms.  This  mill  is  devoted  entirely  to  the  production  of  worsted  yarns  for 
carpet  purposes  and  has  a  daily  product  of  fourteen  thousand  pounds  of 
what  is  known  in  the  trade  as  i  is  and  I2s  yarn.  The  wool  used  is  derived 
entirely  from  foreign  shores,  and  is  known  as  carpet  combing,  is  long  in 
staple  and  is  coarser  than  anything  produced  in  the  United  States.  Donskois 
from  Russia,  Scotch  fleece,  Chinas  and  Cordovas  from  South  America  are 
the  main  descriptions  used.  The  principal  machinery  in  use  at  this  mill  is 
described  as  follows:  Fifty-two  sets  two-cylinder  cards,  twenty-three  Noble 
combs,  one  hundred  and  twenty  spinning  frames,  sixty-five  twisting  frames, 
and  all  the  necessary  subsidiary  machinery,  comprising  pickers,  washers,  dry- 
ers, etc.,  necessary  to  operate  the  above.  There  are  four  boilers  and  two 
engines,  with  a  joint  capacity  of   one  thousand  horse  power.      The  superin- 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  725 

tendent  in  charge  is  William  H.  Wolfe,  and  the  number  of  hands  employed 
is  six  hundred  and  thirteen. 

The  next  mill  to  be  considered  is  the  print  mill,  which  takes  the  worst- 
ed yarn  and  applies  the  colors  to  it.  This  mill  is  situated  opposite  the  worst- 
ed mill,  on  the  western  bank  of  the  Nepperhan  river.  It  is  a  two-story  brick 
building,  five  hundred  and  sixteen  by  one  hundred  and  ten  feet,  containing 
eighty-five  pairs  of  drums  or  cylinders,  on  which  the  yarn  is  printed,  after 
being  thoroughly  scoured  and  bleached.  After  being  steamed  and  dried  the 
yarn  is  then  ready  for  the  final  processes,  and  is  sent  to  the  tapestry,  setting 
and  weaving  mill.  One  engine  and  four  boilers  are  in  use  at  this  mill,  and 
there  are  employed  six  hundred  and  seven  hands.  William  Webb  is  in  general 
charge  of  the  printing,  and  William  McKim  of  the  color-mixing  department. 

The  tapestry  weaving  mill  comes  next,  and  is  the  plant  around  which 
clusters  whatever  sentiment  or  romance  there  may  be  associated  with  so  ma- 
terial a  matter  as  carpet-making,  as  this  was  the  nucleus  from  which  has 
sprung  the  present  immense  works.  It  is  situated  on  the  corner  of  Palisade 
avenue  and  Elm  street.  The  original  "  wooden  "  building  is  still  intact.  It 
was  bought  by  Alexander  Smith,  after  leaving  West  Farms,  in  1865;  and  to 
it  he  afterward  added  fifty  feet.  The  product  of  the  mill  at  that  time  could 
be  removed  daily  by  a  single-horse  wagon,  while  now  about  five  hundred  rolls 
of  carpeting  are  daily  forwarded  to  New  York  from  this  mill  alone.  The  old 
building  is  two  hundred  and  one  by  thirty-one  feet,  three  stories  and  base- 
ment, and  it  is  still  in  active  use  for  the  dressing  of  warps,  for  carpenter 
shops,  etc.,  and  it  is  looked  upon  with  a  feeling  somewhat  akin  to  reverence; 
but  it  is  inevitable  that  some  day  it  will  have  to  give  place  to  a  more  modern 
structure. 

There  is  a  large  machine-shop  adjoining  the  main  engine-rooms,  in 
which  are  employed  mechanics  who  look  after  repairs  directly  connected 
with  the  machinery  pertaining  to  this  plant.  This  mill  has  the  largest  num- 
ber of  employees  on  its  pay-roll,  the  latest  count  giving  one  thousand,  six 
hundred  and  forty  hands.  Reuben  Borland  is  the  present  superintendent  of 
the  moquette  mill.  A  unique  feature  of  the  mill  is  the  yarn-conveyor,  which 
takes  the  dyed  yarn  from  the  store-house  directly  to  the  top  floor  of  the  main 
building  by  means  of  an  endless  chain  and  carrier.  There  are  used  at  this 
mill  weekly  sixty  thousand  pounds  jute  yarn,  twenty-five  thousand  pounds 
cotton  yarn  and  thirty-one  thousand  pounds  woolen  yarn. 

The  following  are  a  few  miscellaneous  facts  in  connection  with  the  mills 
as  a  whole:  There  are  ninety  tons  of  bituminous  coal  consumed  daily,  and 
by  an  ingenious  device  attached  to  the  boiler  grates  the  smoke  is  consumed. 
The  employees  are  paid  weekly  on  every  Friday.  The  raw  and  finished 
goods  handled  daily  weigh  two  hundred  tons.     The  entire  buildings  owned 


726  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

by  the  company  have  been  protected  from  fire  by  automatic  sprinkling 
devices;  and,  in  addition,  there  are  four  fire  pumps  of  great  capacity  in  case 
the  city  water  should  fail.  Some  idea  of  the  extent  of  these  works  may  be 
gathered  from  the  fact  that  there  are  twenty-five  acres  of  floor  space  in  the 
mills  as  a  whole. 

Among  the  names  of  those  who  have  been  prominent  in  the  service  of 
the  company,  some  of  whom  are  dead,  should  be  mentioned:  Halcyon  Skin- 
ner, John  T.  Bell,  F.  T.  Holder,  John  A.  Dowe,  Thomas  Wigley,  William 
McKim,  Hiram  F.  Lord,  George  Borland,  Eugene  Tymeson,  John  Crowther, 
John  H.  Coyne,  William  H.  Wolfe,  George  Moshier,  E.  C.  Clark,  Harold 
Brown,  Richard  Edie,  Jr.,  William  Heatherington,  Walter  Thomas,  Henry 
Parton,  David  Paton,  Henry  J.  Laragh,  George  Stengel  and  John  Crawford. 
There  are  still  in  the  employ  of  the  company  three  or  four  hands  who  started 
in  with  Alexander  Smith  the  first  year  he  came  to  Yonkers. 

The  company  give  their  employes  a  Saturday  half-day  holiday  every 
summer  during  the  months  of  June,  July  and  August,  and  allow  them  their 
full  wages  for  the  time  lost.  The  total  number  of  hands  employed  is  four 
thousand  and  one  hundred.  A  large  number  of  the  adult  male  employes 
own  their  own  homes,  and,  as  the  mills  have  run  almost  steadily  for  the  past 
twenty  years,  the  hands  are  kept  more  uniformly  employed  than  are  those  of 
competing  concerns.  The  last  serious  stoppage  was  in  the  panic  year,  1893, 
when  the  mills  were  closed  five  months,  and  this  resulted  in  great  depression 
and  suffering  in  the  city  of  Yonkers. 

The  moquette  fabrics  made  by  the  company  have  been  exported  quite 
freely  during  the  past  four  years,  through  the  general  selling  agents,  W.  &  J. 
Sloane,  of  New  York  city,  who  have  opened  an  office  and  established  a  per- 
manent representative  in  London.  In  connection  with  the  recent  coronation 
services  of  the  czar  of  Russia,  it  should  be  mentioned  that  two  thousand  five 
hundred  yards  of  the  company's  goods  were  laid  in  the  palace  at  Moscow, 
and  this  has  recently  been  followed  up  by  orders  for  several  patterns  for  the 
private  rooms  of  the  empress  of  Russia. 

Upon  the  death  of  Alexander  Smith,  Warren  B.  Smith,  his  only  son, 
was  elected  president  (resigning  the  office  of  treasurer),  in  January,  1879, 
which  office  he  held  until  January  i,  1894,  when  he  resigned.  Mr.  Smith  is 
a  practical  carpet  man  in  every  respect,  as  he  applied  himself  to  acquiring 
his  knowledge  by  going  into  many  of  the  mill  departments  and  working  as 
any  other  employe  might.  The  present  magnitude  and  success  of  the  works 
are  largely  due  to  his  energy  and  push'.  Mr.  Smith  is  also  largely  interested 
in  real  estate  in  Yonkers.  During  the  last  three  years  he  has  devoted  much 
time  to  traveling.  His  home  is  still  in  Yonkers,  and  his  residence  is  beauti- 
fully located  at  Hillcrest. 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  727 


NATHANIEL  CUTLER. 

One  of  the  leading  agriculturists  of  North  Castle  township,  Westchester 
county,  and  an  honored  veteran  of  the  civil  war,  is  Nathaniel  Cutler,  who 
was  born  December  21,  1844,  in  that  township,  being  a  representative  of 
one  of  the  county's  old  and  highly  respected  families  of  English  origin.  His 
grandfather,  John  Cutler,  was  likewise  a  native  of  the  county,  and  here  both 
he  and  his  wife  died  and  were  buried. 

Nathaniel  Cutler,  Sr.,  father  of  our  subject,  spent  his  entire  life  in 
Westchester  county,  as  a  farmer,  and  in  early  manhood  he  married  Sarah 
Ann  Weeks,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Somers,  and  who  was  likewise  a 
representative  of  one  of  the  old  families  of  the  county,  being  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Rachel  Weeks.  Nine  children  were  born  of  this  union:  John, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years;  Cornelius  and  Mrs.  Ama  Ferguson, 
both  residents  of  Mount  Kisco;  Cyrus,  of  Golden  Bridge,  this  county; 
George  Washington,  of  Dutchess  county.  New  York;  Stephen  and  Julia, 
both  deceased;  Nathaniel,  our  subject;  and  Araminta,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years.  Three  of  the  sons  were  among  the  boys  in  blue  during  the 
civil  war  and  valiantly  fought  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union  on  many  a 
southern  battle-field.  They  were  Cyrus,  George  W.  and  Nathaniel, — all 
members  of  the  Fifth  New  York  Heavy  Artillery, — and  the  second  was  ser- 
geant of  his  company,  while  our  subject  served  as  corporal.  The  mother  of 
these  children  died  at  the  age  of  seventy  and  the  father  at  the  age  of  eighty 
years.  Both  were  consistent  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and  were  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  them,  and  he  was  identified  with 
the  Democratic  party. 

Nathaniel  Cutler,  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch,  grew  to  manhood 
on  the  home  farm,  aiding  in  its  work  and  attending  the  local  schools.  He 
was  still  in  his  'teens  when  he  entered  the  military  service  of  his  country,  and 
was  stationed  most  of  the  time  in  Virginia,  being  honorably  discharged  at 
Harper's  Ferry  and  paid  off  at  Albany,  New  York,  after  which  he  returned 
home. 

On  the  28th  of  December,  1870,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Martha  Ida  Sutton,  who  was  born,  reared  and  educated  at  Claverack,  New 
York,  and  also  belongs  to  one  of  the  old  and  well  known  families  of  the 
county.  At  an  early  day  two  brothers,  Joseph  and  John  Sutton,  left  their 
home  at  Sutton  Court,  England,  and  came  to  the  New  World,  and  from  the 
former,  who  settled  in  Westchester  county,  Mrs.  Cutler  is  descended.  In 
rehgious  faith  they  were  Friends.  James  Sutton,  Sr. ,  the  son  of  Joseph, 
was  born  in  a  log  cabin  on  the  old  homestead  in  this  county,  and  was  the 
father  of  Walter  Sutton,  Mrs.  Cutler's  grandfather,  who  also  was  born  on  the 


728  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

old  homestead  and  was  twice  married, — first  to  Martha  Tatten  and  secondly 
to  Phoebe  Dickinson.  James  T.  Sutton,  Mrs.  Cutler's  father,  first  opened 
his  eyes  to  the  light  on  the  Sutton  homestead,  and  on  reaching  man's  estate 
he  married  his  second  cousin,  Phoebe  Sutton,  a  daughter  of  William  Sutton, 
who  was  a  brother  of  James  Sutton,  Sr. ,  and  a  son  of  Joseph  Sutton,  the 
pioneer.  William  Sutton  married  Charlotte  Hunt,  a  daughter  of  Josiah  and 
Lydia  (Palmer)  Hunt,  relatives  of  Lord  Effingham,  of  England.  To  James 
T.  and  Phoebe  Sutton  were  born  two  children.  Mrs.  Martha  Ida  Cutler  being 
the  older.  The  son,  William  Edward  Sutton,  now.  a  resident  of  Seattle, 
Washington,  was  reared  and  educated  in  Westchester  county,  and  was  a  suc- 
cessful teacher  here  for  a  time,  but  has  made  his  home  in  the  west  for  sev- 
eral years.  He  married  Eva  Acker,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Acker.  James 
T.  Sutton,  who  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  a  Democrat  in  politics,  died 
at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years,  honored  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 
His  estimable  wife,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  departed 
this  life  at  the  age  of  seventy-two. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cutler  have  been  born  two  sons:  Walter  Sutton,  a 
surveyor  and  engineer  residing  at  home,  and  William  Edward,  a  carpenter, 
also  at  home.  The  fine  farm  belonging  to  this  worthy  couple  comprises 
seventy-two  acres  of  valuable  land,  most  of  which  is  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation  and  well  improved  with  good  buildings,  and  there  is  also  an 
excellent  orchard  of  six  acres  upon  the  place.  This  pleasant  home  is  con- 
veniently located  in  New  Castle  township,  about  two  miles  from  Mount 
Kisco.  Politically,  Mr.  Cutler  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party,  and 
socially  affiliates  with  Stuart  Hart  Post,  G.  A.  R. ,  of  Mount  Kisco,  of  which 
he  is  a  charter  member.  With  his  wife  and  son,  William  E.,  he  holds  mem- 
bership in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  the  family  occupy  a  position 
of  prominence  in  the  social  life  of  the  community.  Public-spirited  and  enter- 
prising, they  give  their  support  to  all  worthy  objects  calculated  to  advance 
the  moral,  intellectual  or  material  welfare  of  their  town  and  county,  and  they 
are  held  in  high  regard  by  all  who  know  them. 


WILLIAM  V.  MOLLOY. 


Since  attaining  his  majority  Mr.  Molloy  has  been  a  potent  factor  in  pub- 
lic affairs  in  Westchester  county.  He  was  long  recognized  as  one  of  the 
leading  business  men,  and  as  a  public  official  has  demonstrated  his  loyalty  to 
the.  best  interests  of  the  community  by  his  faithful  service.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  well  known  firm  of  Molloy  Brothers,  general  contractors,  until 
about  1895,  and  is  now  serving  as  sheriff  of  the  county. 

Mr.  Molloy  was  born  in  Fleetwood,  now  a  part  of  Mount  Vernon,  New 


^^^^ 


/ 


'^^^y-y-^ 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  729 

York,  in  1856,  and  when  four  months  old  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  a  farm 
near  New  Rochelle,  where  he  was  reared  to  manhood.  His  strong  force  of 
character,  natural  bravery  and  resolution  have  naturally  made  him  a  leader 
of  men,  and  when  only  twenty  years  of  age  he  became  the  head  of  an  organ- 
ized vigilance  committee  that  broke  up  a  gang  of  burglars  in  New  Rochelle. 
Later  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  Glen  Island  detective  force,  and  in  many 
other  matters  of  moment  his  opinions  and  example  carried  great  weight. 
Throughout  his  business  career  he  was  identified  with  works  of  public 
improvement  and  progress,  being  engaged  in  the  construction  of  railroads  and 
sewer  systems.  The  firm  of  MoUoy  Brothers  took  large  contracts  in  those 
lines  of  building,  and  their  excellent  workmanship  and  well  known  reliability 
secured  them  a  liberal  and  lucrative  patronage.  They  took  the  contract  for 
laying  the  sewers  in  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts,  also  in  New  Rochelle,  and  did 
a  large  amount  of  work  on  the  arches  spanning  the  New  York,  New  Haven 
&  Hartford  Railroad,  at  New  Rochelle.  They  made  the  excavation  and  did 
all  of  the  work  for  the  Rochelle  Park  for  the  Manhattan  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany, at  New  Rochelle;  took  the  contract  for  laying  the  mains  of  the  water 
works  in  Westchester;  did  all  the  work  at  the  Country  Club  grounds,  and  laid 
the  water  mains  in  New  Rochelle.  They  also  executed  contracts  on  many 
other  public  works,  employing  only  competent  workmen,  and  by  their  per- 
sonal oversight  were  assured  that  the  work  was  thoroughly  and  carefully 
done.  In  matters  of  business  William  V.  Molloy  is  a  man  of  great  energy, 
push  and  enterprise,  and  as  a  result  of  his  executive  ability  and  careful  man- 
agement has  won  a  gratifying  success. 

His  attention  has  been  divided  between  his  private  business  interests 
and  his  public  duties,  and  in  both  commercial  and  political  circles  he  is 
widely  known.  He  was  one  of  the  company  who  acted  as  escort  to  James 
G.  Blaine  when  the  Maine  statesman  made  a  tour  through  the  country  while 
a  candidate  for  the  presidency.  In  1884  he  was  elected  excise  commissioner 
and  held  that  office  for  three  years.  During  the  last  year  of  his  service  he 
was  also  assessor  of  the  town  of  New  Rochelle,  to  which  office  he  was  elected 
in  1886  for  a  three-years  term.  He  discharged  his  duties  with  such  marked 
abihty  that  he  was  re-elected  in  1889,  but  in  1890  he  was  elected  supervisor. 
Again  he  held  two  offices  at  the  same  time,  but  soon  he  resigned  his  position 
as  assessor;  yet,  before  the  expiration  of  his  term  as  supervisor,  to  which  he 
was  re-elected  in  1891,  he  was  appointed  and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  post- 
master. In  the  fall  of  1891  he  was  unanimously  nominated  at  the  Repub- 
ilican  convention  for  representative  of  the.  Westchester  district  in  the  general 
assembly,  his  opponent  being  ex-Congressman  Ryan,  of  Port  Chester.  He 
was  at  that  time  laying  the  sewers  of  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts,  under  con- 
tract, and  in  consequence,  not  being  able  to  enter  the  campaign,  was  obliged 


730  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

to  decline  the  nomination.  In  1892  he  was  the  Republican  nominee  for 
county  register,  but  though  defeated  in  the  Cleveland  tidal  wave  by  William 
J.  Graney,  of  Dobbs  Ferry,  he  ran  several  hundred  votes  ahead  of  his  ticket. 
During  his  service  as  postmaster,  to  which  office  he  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Harrison,  in  February,  1893,  he  developed  the  free-delivery  system, 
which  had  been  established  by  his  immediate  predecessor.  To  him  is  due 
the  excellent  service  which  the  town  now  enjoys.  His  time  expired  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1897,  but  President  Cleveland  allowed  him  to  hold  over  twenty  days 
before  appointing  his  successor,  Charles  H.  McQuirk.  The  senate  failing  to 
confirm  this  appointment,  President  McKinley  re-appointed  Mr.  Molloy  for  a 
four-years  term,  beginning  in  May,  1897.  In  November  of  that  year  he  was 
the  Republican  candidate  for  sheriff  of  Westchester  county  and  was  elected 
over  J.  J.  Broderick,  of  Yonkers,  by  a  majority  of  seven  hundred  and  twenty- 
eight  votes.  With  the  exception  of  the  coroner  he  was  the  only  man  elected 
on  the  ticket,  a  fact  which  indicates  his  personal  popularity  and  the  high 
regard  and  confidence  reposed  in  him.  He  entered  upon  the  duties  of  that 
office  and  sent  in  his  resignation  as  postmaster  of  New  Rochelle,  but  the 
government  failed  to  release  him  until  May,  1898,  so  that  he  was  again  hold- 
ing two  offices  at  the  same  time.  He  is  now  acceptably  serving  as  sheriff, 
and  temporarily  resides  in  White  Plains,  although  he  still  regards  New 
Rochelle  as  his  home. 

Mr.  Molloy  has  ever  been  most  prompt  and  faithful  in  the  discharge 
of  his  official  duties,  and  this  has  won  him  the  commendation  of  men  of  all 
parties.  For  three  years  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Republican  com- 
mittee of  Westchester  county,  and  his  sagacity  and  managerial  ability  con- 
tributed not  a  little  to  the  strength  of  his  party.  At  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition  in  Chicago,  in  1893,  Mr.  Molloy  was  chosen  as  a  member  of  the 
committee  on  agriculture  and  cereals.  He  is  a  man  of  splendid  business 
ability  and  large  capacity  in  the  management  of  extensive  and  varied  interests, 
and  thus  has  been  enabled  to  carry  on  contracting  successfully,  and  at  the 
same  time  take  an  active  part  in  public  affairs.  During  the  last  three  years, 
however,  he  has  not  followed  contracting.  Personally  he  is  a  man  of  fine 
physique,  tall  and  well  proportioned.  His  gentlemanly  appearance,  pleasant 
face  and  modest  manners  have  won  him  hundreds  of  friends,  and  his  acquaint- 
ance is  widely  extended  in  the  east. 


NORTON  P.   OTIS. 


Norton  Prentiss  Otis  was  born  in  Halifax,  Vermont,  March  18,  1840,  a 

son  of  Elisha  G.  and  Susan  A.  (Houghton)  Otis.      His  father  died  in  1861, 

'and  his  mother  February  25,  1842.      He  received  his  early  training  and  edu- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  731 

cation  at  the  public  schools  in  Halifax,  Vermont,  Albany,  New  York,  and 
Hudson  City,  New  Jersey,  at  which  places  his  father  resided  at  different 
times,  and  on  the  removal  of  the  family  to  Yonkers  he  completed  his  studies 
at  district  school  No.  2,  of  this  city.  At  eighteen  years  of  age  he  entered  his 
father's  elevator  business,  then  in  its  infancy.  Upon  the  incorporation  oi 
Otis  Brothers  &  Company,  in  1867,  he  became  treasurer,  and  for  the  suc- 
ceeding ten  years  traveled  for  the  concern  throughout  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  introducing  passenger  and  freight  elevators. 

In  1877  he  married  Miss  Lizzie  A.  Fahs,  of  York,  Pennsylvania,  a  most 
estimable  and  accomplished  lady.  They  have  seven  children, — Charles 
Edwin,  Sidney,  Arthur  Houghton,  Norton  Prentiss,  Katherine  Lois,  Ruth 
Adelaide  and  James  Russell  Lowell. 

Mr.  Otis  has  always  been  actively  interested  in  the  religious,  social  and 
political  life  of  Yonkers,  and  has  filled  with  honor  many  offices  of  distinction 
in  these  several  departments,  and  is  identified  with  several  of  the  philan- 
thropic institutions  of  the  city.  For  years  he  has  been  vice-president  of  St. 
John's  Riverside  Hospital,  and  president  of  the  Charity  Organization  Society. 
All  that  concerns  the  welfare  of  Yonkers  concerns  Mr.  Otis,  and  he  has- 
always  been  ready  to  serve  the  city  of  which  he  is  an  honored  resident. 

Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  always  sustained  the  party  and 
its  principles.  In  the  spring  of  1880  he  was  nominated  for  mayor  and 
elected  by  a  large  majority.  During  his  administration  many  important  and 
valuable  changes  were  made  in  the  various  departments  of  the  city.  The 
fire  department  was  reorganized,  the  system  of  public-school  management 
was  changed  and  greatly  advanced  in  efficiency  (Mr.  Otis  appointing  the  first 
school  board  under  the  consolidated  system),  the  water-works  were  largely 
augmented  by  the  introduction  of  new  and  improved  machinery,  and  with  all 
these  improvements,  brought  about  under  his  practical  business  administra- 
tion, when  he  retired  from  office  the  city's  debt  had  been  decreased  more 
than  seventy-five  thousand  dollars!  In  the  fall  of  1883  he  was  elected  to  the 
state  assembly,  in  a  district  overwhelmingly  Democratic.  While  in  the  state 
legislature  he  was  the  author  of  many  important  measures,  among  which 
were  those  relating  to  the  reduction  of  exorbitant  rates  of  fare  on  state  rail- 
roads, giving  towns  the  power  to  regulate  or  refuse  admission  to  excursion 
parties,  making  only  physicians  eligible  to  the  office  of  coroner,  etc.  The 
latter  bill,  however,  failed  to  pass  at  that  time,  on  account  of  constitutional 
objections.  Since  then  the  constitution  has  been  amended  and  the  essential 
elements  of  that  bill  are  now  the  law  of  the  state.  In  local  politics,  Mr. 
Otis  is  a  recognized  leader  of  opinion  among  the  best  elements  of  society. 
One  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  Yonkers  said  of  him  recently:  "Mr. 
Otis  is  one  of  the  most  sagacious  and  honorable  men  that  we  have  to-day  in 


732  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

our  city.  Whatever  office  he  is  elected  to,  he  dignifies  and  discharges  its 
duties  with  the  utmost  skill,  reflecting  credit  upon  himself  and  adding 
materially  to  the  prosperity  and  comfort  of  the  community  he  serves;  dis- 
countenancing everything  that  savors  of  political  trickery  and  corruption,  he 
is  pre-eminently  qualified  to  serve  his  country  in  any  capacity. "  This  just 
criticism  of  the  man  is  fully  confirmed  by  his  past  record  both  in  official  and 
private  life. 

But  Mr.  Otis  is  not  only  a  factor  in  the  political  and  religious  life  of  the 
community;  he  is  also  a  highly  respected  and  valued  member  of  its  society. 
He  is  a  close  student  and  keeps  in  touch  with  the  best  thought  of  the  day. 
A  Christian  gentleman,  a  cultured  member  of  society,  a  vvise  and  successful 
business  man, — he  stands  as  a  representative  citizen,  honored  and  respected 
by  the  whole  community. 

In  1890.  upon  the  retirement  of  his  brother  from  business,  he  was 
elected  president  of  Otis  Brothers  &  Company,  which  position  he  still  holds. 

In  giving  a  brief  account  of  the  Otis  Brothers  &  Company's  Elevator 
Works,  we  may  first  state  that  the  company  are  the  foremost  builders  of 
passenger  and  freight  elevators  in  the  world.  It  would  not  be  possible  to 
give  a  history  of  the  great  industry  without  mentioning  the  founder. 

Elisha  Graves  Otis,  who  was  the  youngest  of  the  six  children  of  Stephen 
Otis,  and  was  born  August  13,  181 1,  was  the  inventor  of  the  modern  eleva- 
tor, which  has  done  so  much  for  modern  city  life  and  development.  Young 
Otis  lived  on  his  father's  farm  at  Halifax,  Vermont,  until  the  age  of  nineteen, 
when  he  left  for  Troy,  New  York.  In  the  latter  city  he  resided  five  years 
and  was  engaged  in  various  building  operations.  On  June  2,  1834,  he  was 
married  to  Susan  A.  Houghton,  of  Halifax.  She  was  the  mother  of  his  two 
sons,  Charles  R.  and  Norton  P.  Otis,  and  died  February  25,  1842.  In  1838 
Mr.  Otis  returned  to  Vermont  and  engaged  for  a  time  in  the  manufacture  of 
wagons  and  carriages.  He  continued  in  this  occupation  until  1845.  His 
second  wife  was  Mrs.  Betsey  A.  Boyd,  whom  he  married  in  August,  1846.  A 
little  later  he  removed  to  Albany  and  assumed  the  charge  of  the  construction 
of  machinery  in  a  large  manufacturing  establishment.  Four  years  later  he 
withdrew  from  this  employment  in  order  to  establish  works  of  his  own,  but 
was  compelled  eventually  to  give  up  this  undertaking.  We  next  find  him 
holding  the  position  of  mechanical  superintendent  of  a  furniture  manufactory 
at  Hudson  City,  New  Jersey.  In  1852,  this  establishment  was  removed  to 
Yonkers. 

Mr.  Otis  had  charge,  as  organizer  and  mechanical  superintendent,  of 
what  was  called  the  bedstead  factory  (foot  of  Vark  street,  subsequently  occu- 
pied by  the  New  York  Plow  Company),  and  also  superintended  the  erection 
of  a  part  of  the  buildings  at  Yonkers.     It  was  during  this  later  work  that  the 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  733 

idea  of  the  elevator  occurred  to  him.  The  story  of  his  invention  has  been 
told  as  follows:  During  the  building  and  equipment  of  this  factory  it  became 
necessary  to  construct  an  elevator  for  use  on  the  premises,  during  the  erec- 
tion of  which  Mr.  Otis  developed  some  original  devices,  the  most  important 
of  which  was  one  for  preventing  the  fall  of  the  platform  in  case  of  the  break- 
ing of  the  lifting  rope.  The  machine  attracted  the  attention  of  some  New 
York  manufacturers,  and  soon  afterward  he  secured  several  orders  for  eleva- 
tors to  go  to  that  city.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  elevator  business.  So 
successful  was  Mr.  Otis  in  the  manufacture  and  the  constant  improvement 
of  his  new  machine  that  he  was  obliged  to  withdraw  from  the  Bedstead 
Manufacturing  Company  and  confine  himself  entirely  to  the  construction  of 
elevators.  He  exhibited  his  new  elevator  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  London,  in 
185 1,  where  he  attracted  considerable  attention  by  running  the  elevator  car 
to  a  considerable  height  while  standing  upon  it  and  then  cutting  the  rope. 
The  car  did  not  fall,  and  by  thus  demonstrating  his  own  confidence  in  the 
usefulness  of  the  invention,  orders  for  the  machines  rapidly  increased.  Be- 
fore the  year  of  his  death  (1861),  he  had  built  up  an  extensive  business  and 
the  Otis  elevator  had  become  well  known.  In  addition  to  his  original  inven- 
tion, he  constantly  made  improvements  in  the  construction  of  the  elevator, 
and  was  also  the  inventor  of  many  important  mechanical  devices.  In  per- 
sonal character  Mr.  Otis  was  a  man  of  great  worth  and  integrity.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  this  city  and  was  also  a 
strong  anti-slavery  and  temperance  man.  From  1854  to  1858  from  five  to 
fifteen  men  were  employed,  and  the  foreman  was  Charles  R.  Otis,  his  eldest 
son. 

About  1859  or  i860,  Mr.  Elisha  G.  Otis  designed,  constructed  and  pat- 
ented an  independent  engine  capable  of  high  speed,  to  raise  or  lower  the 
platform  or  car.  This  hoisting  engine  marked  the  beginning  of  the  system 
of  steam  elevators.  In  i860  and  1861  Charles  R.  Otis  invented  and  patented 
many  important  improvements.  After  the  death  of  Elisha  G.  Otis  in  1861, 
the  Otis  Brothers — Charles  R.  and  Norton  P. — formed  a  partnership  for  the 
continuance  of  the  business.  The  beginning  of  the  civil  war  stimulated  trade 
in"  war  materials,  and  elevators  came  into  demand  for  various  business  houses. 
Attention  to  business  was  required,  and  both  brothers  gave  close  attention  to 
the  developing  industry.  Charles  R.  Otis  worked  throughout  the  day,  and 
sometimes  during  the  entire  night.  Both  sons  made  many  inventions  and 
improvements.  Norton  P.  Otis  spent  much  of  his  time  visiting  towns  and 
cities  throughout  the  country  introducing  the  elevator. 

In  1864  J.  M.  Alvord  had  become  a  partner,  and  the  company  was 
known  as  Otis  Brothers  &  Company.  In  1867  Mr.  Alvord  sold  his  interest 
to  the  Otis  Brothers,  after  which  a  stock  company  was  formed.      Charles  R, 


734  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

Otis  was  made  president,  Norton  P.  Otis,  treasurer,  and  N.  H.  Stockweli, 
secretary.  Mr.  Stockweli  resigned  the  same  year,  and  J.  L.  Hubbard  became 
secretary.  The  manufactory,  at  the  corners  of  Woodworth,  Wells  and  Ra- 
vine avenues,  has  been  occupied  since  1868.  In  1872  business  had  increased 
to  such  an  extent  that  during  that  year  it  amounted  to  three  hundred  and 
ninety-three  thousand  dollars.  After  the  company  was  incorporated  the  busi- 
iness  continued  to  increase  rapidly  until,  in  1882,  it  was  established  on  a 
basis  of  over  six  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  rapidly  increasing.  In  June, 
1882,  the  brothers  retired,  selling  their  interest  to  a  syndicate  of  capitalists. 
Later  on  the  control  returned  to  them  again,  and  Charles  R.  was  made  presi- 
dent, which  position  he  held  until  1890,  when  he  retired,  and  since  then  his 
brother,  Norton  P.  Otis,  has  been  the  president  of  the  company.  The  offi- 
cers of  the  company  at  the  present  time  are:  President,  Norton  P.  Otis; 
vice  president  and  secretary,  Abraham  G.  Mills;  and  treasurer  and  general 
manager,  William  Delavan  Baldwin. 

Employment  is  given  in  this  city  to  about  five  hundred  men,  and  there 
is  a  constructing  force  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  constantly  engaged  in 
setting  up  elevators  throughout  the  country.  They  have  recently  perfected, 
an  electric  elevator.  The  company  has  adopted,  and  made  part  of  its  sys- 
tem, an  electric  motor,  invented  by  the  late  Rudolph  Eickemeyer,  of  this 
city.  Its  valuable  features  are  that  it  starts  and  stops  with  the  car,  thus 
economizing  power,  and  it  is  perfectly  under  the  control  of  the  operator. 
The  Otis  elevators  in  use  in  New  York  city  carry  daily  over  four  hundred 
thousand  passengers.  These  elevators  are  also  used  in  the  Eiffel  tower  at 
Paris,  Washington  monument  (D.  C),  Niagara  Falls  tower,  the  great  trestle 
used  by  the  Hudson  County  Railroad  at  Weehawken,  New  Jersey,  and  were 
used  in  the  great  manufactures  and  liberal  arts  building  at  the  World's  Fair 
of  1893  at  Chicago.  The)'  are  also  in  use  in  every  city  of  America,  every 
large  city  in  Europe,  and  in  South  America  and  Australia,  and  quite  a  num- 
ber in  Egypt  and  China.  The  Otis  Elevating  Railroad  in  the  Catskills, 
which  carries  passengers  up  an  incline  seven  thousand  feet  in  length  in  ten 
minutes,  saving  a  journey  by  stage  of  four  hours'  duration,  and  the  Prospect 
Mountain  Inclined  Railway  at  Lake  George,  were  built  by  this  company. 


WILLIAM  H.   HYLER. 


A  well  known  druggist  and  one  of  the  prominent  and  representative  busi- 
ness men  of  Port  Chester  is  William  H.  Hyler,  who  is  a  native  of  New  York 
city,  where  he  was  born  January  6,  1846,  a  son  of  Adonijah  Hyler,  who  spent 
his  entire  life  in  the  metropolis  as  an  extensive  contractor  and  builder.  The 
father  also  owned  a  large  lumber-yard  and  a  sash  and  blind  factory  on  125th 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  735 

street,  and  met  with  a  well  merited  success  in  his  undertakings,  continuing 
to  be  actively  engaged  in  business  until  a  short  time  before  his  death,  which 
occurred  when  he  was  eighty-six  years  of  age.  He  was  truly  a  self-made 
man,  for  he  began  life  for  himself  without  capital  or  the  aid  of  influential 
friends,  and  he  not  only  gained  a  handsome  competence,  but  by  his  upright 
and  honorable  career  won  the  confidence  and  high  regard  of  all  with  whom 
he  came  in  contact.  The  Hyler  family  was  founded  in  America  by  three 
brothers,  natives  of  Germany,  among  whom  was  the  great-grandfather  of  our 
subject.  The  grandfather  was  born  in  New  York  city,  but  when  a  young 
man  he  removed  to  Albany,  New  York,  and  there  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  until  his  death.  Our  subject's  mother  was  Catherine  Ann  Paris,  of 
New  York,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years,  leaving  one  son  and 
six  daughters.  She  was  a  prominent  and  faithful  member  of  the  Methodist 
church. 

Reared  in  New  York,  William  H.  Hyler  began  his  education  in  the  125th 
street  public  school,  and  later  attended  Patterson's  private  academy.  Soon 
after  leaving  the  latter  institution  he  began  clerking  in  a  tea  broker's  office, 
where  he  remained  until  after  the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war.  In  February, 
1862,  he  enlisted  as  landsman  private  in  the  United  States  Navy,  and  the 
vessel  to  which  he  was  assigned  formed  a  part  of  the  Atlantic  squadron,  but 
it  afterward  went  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  was  given  up  as  lost.  Before  his 
term  expired  Mr.  Hyler  was  discharged  on  account  of  physical  disability 
caused  by  exposure,  but  after  remaining  at  home  a  short  time  he  re-enlisted, 
December  5,  1864,  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-ninth  New  York  Volunteer 
Infantry,  as  private,  and  was  sent  to  Hart  Island.  He  was  on  specialty  duty 
in  taking  soldiers  to  the  field  and  bringing  back  rebel  prisoners  for  two  or 
three  months,  and  then  rejoined  his  regiment,  going  from  Washington,  D. 
C,  to  Virginia.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  mustered  out  at  Augusta, 
Georgia,  and  returned  home. 

Mr.  Hyler  then  entered  Packard's  Business  College,  where  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  the  same  class  as  General  E.  A.  McAlpin,  late  assistant  adjutant-gen- 
eral of  the  state  of  New  York.  In  1867  Mr.  Hyler  went  to  Bridgeport,  Con- 
necticut, where  he  clerked  for  some  time  in  the  drug  store  of  his  brother-in- 
law,  C.  G.  Pendleton,  and  then  attended  the  College  of  Pharmacy,  New 
York,  graduating  at  that  institution  in  1869,  after  which  he  accepted  a  posi- 
tion in  the  drug  store  of  George  C.  Close,  of  Brooklyn,  who  was  president  of 
the  college.  Coming  to  Port  Chester  in  1872,  Mr.  Huyler  has  made  his  home 
here  continuously  since,  and  previously  to  1876  engaged  in  the  drug  business 
in  the  old  building  now  occupied  by  William  J.  Foster's  ice-cream  factory. 
For  a  short  time  he  engaged  in  business  in  the  store  occupied  by  John  Reid, 
.but  removed  to  the  Centennial  building  on  its  completion,  April  i,  1876,  and 


736  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

has  since  carried  on  operations  there  with  most  gratifying  success,  building 
up  a  large  and  lucrative  trade. 

Mr.  Hyler  married  Miss  Carrie  E.  Sniffin,  of  Port  Chester,  and  to  them 
were  born  two  children:  Carrie  Frances,  now  the  wife  of  W.  D.  Lippincott; 
and  E.  Agnes,  at  home. 

In  1873  Mr.  Hyler  joined  the  Harry  Howard  Hook  &  Ladder  Company, 
and  was  honored  by  his  comrades  by  an  election  as  assistant  foreman,  serv- 
ing in  that  capacity  for  two  years,  and  later  as  foreman  for  three  years.  He 
also  joined  Company  I,  Twenty-seventh  Regiment,  National  Guards,  State  of 
New  York,  and  was  elected  first  lieutenant,  being  commissioned  by  Governor 
S.  T.  Tilden.  On  the  resignation  of  Captain  Charles  J.  Chatfield  he  was 
made  commanding  officer  and  served  as  such  for  two  years.  He  had  com- 
mand of  the  company  at  the  time  of  the  great  railroad  riots,  as  Captain 
Chatfield  was  unable  to  leave  the  village.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican, and  for  four  years  most  acceptably  served  as  postmaster  at  Port  Ches- 
ter, under  Harrison's  administration.  In  1878  he  was  elected  coroner,  and 
so  satisfactorily  did  he  perform  the  duties  of  that  office  that  he  was  elected 
for  a  second  term  three  years  later.  He  became  a  member  of  Charles  Law- 
rence Post,  G.  A.  R. ,  on  its  organization,  served  as  its  commander  several 
terms,  has  been  honored  by  an  appointment  on  the  staff  of  the  department 
commander,  and  now  holds  the  position  of  post  quartermaster.  He  also 
belongs  to  Mamaro  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Wappannoco  Tribe,  I.  O.  R.  M. ; 
Court  Poningoe,  O.  F.  A. ;  Port  Chester  Council,  R.  A. ;  and  the  Firemen's 
Benevolent  Fund  Association.  For  six  years  he  has  served  as  school  director, 
has  been  vestryman  of  St.  Peter's  church  several  years,  and  at  present  is  one 
of  the  trustees  of  the  Free  Library  and  Reading  Room,  and  also  one  of  the 
trustees  of  public  lands.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  he  has  been  prominently 
identified  with  public  affairs  in  the  village,  and  he  has  always  been  found 
true  and  faithful  to  every  trust  reposed  in  him. 


J.   CLARENCE  SMITH. 


J.  Clarence  Smith,  an  enterprising  young  business  man  of  Mount  Ver- 
non, Westchester  county,  resides  at  No.  98  West  Lincoln  avenue.  He  was 
born  in  Orange  county,  New  York,  in  the  village  of  Mount  Hope,  October 
24,  1863,  his  parents' being  WiUiam  and  Margeret  (Niver)  Smith.  Jesse 
Smith,  the  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  lived  on  Long  Island  in  his 
early  life  and  followed  the  occupation  of  farming,  as  had  his  father,  Wessel 
Smith,  before  him.  Jesse  Smith  served  in  the  war  of  181 2,  and  was  after- 
ward granted  a  pension.  When  about  twenty-five  years  of  age,  and  unmar- 
ried, he  went  to  the  vicinity  of  Mount  Hope  and   taught  school   for   several 


^>^'<*^i:^^ 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  737 

years.  There  he  married  and  had  six  children,  namely:  Jesse,  Jr.,  Will- 
iam, Emeline,  Charles,  Sallie  and  Arminta.  He  died  at  the  advanced  age 
of  ninety-two  years,  and  his  wife  was  three-score  and  ten  at  the  time  of  her 
demise.  Politically,  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  for  a  period  was  a  justice  of 
the  peace.  In  the  Baptist  church  he  was  considered  quite  a  leader,  and 
for  his  day  he  was  a  man  of  exceptionally  good  education  and  general  attain- 
ments. 

William  Smith,  mentioned  above,  was  born  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Mount  Hope  and  was  a  graduate  of  Ridgebury  Academy.  He  met  with  a 
serious  accident  when  he  was  about  seventeen,  a  tree  falling  upon  him.  The 
doctors  insisted  that  his  leg  should  be  amputated,  but  he  fought  their  deci- 
sion and  would  not  permit  the  operation  to  be  performed.  It  was  fully  two 
years  ere  he  regained  the  use  of  the  injured  member,  and  afterward,  when 
he  presented  himself  as  a  volunteer  for  the  Union  service,  he  was  rejected 
on  account  of  his  partially  crippled  state.  He  taught  school  for  a  number 
of  years  in  his  home  district,  and  later,  at  North  Moreland,  Pennsylvania, 
for  some  three  or  four  years.  He  followed  the  same  calling  in  Centerton, 
Huron  county,  Ohio,  several  years.  He  was  married,  for  the  first  time,  in 
Ohio,  bringing  his  wife  to  the  old  homestead  in  Orange  county.  New  York, 
where  she  died  in  1869.  The  remains  were  taken  to  her  Ohio  home  for 
burial.  In  1877  he  sold  his  Orange  county  property  and  settled  in  New 
York  city,  where  he  resided  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  in  November,  1884, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-nine  years.  While  living  in  the  city  he  was  engaged  in 
the  novelty  business  for  a  few  years.  He  was  a  Democrat,  and  while  in 
Orange  county  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  time.  He  had  but  two  chil- 
dren,— J.  Clarence,  and  Alice,  Mrs.  Theodore  Green,  of  Mount  Vernon.  He 
died  in  New  York  city  in  1882,  and  was  taken  to  Otisville,  Orange  county, 
for  burial. 

The  education  of  J.  Clarence  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of 
Mount  Hope  and  New  York.  Just  before  the  time  for  his  graduation  he 
embarked  in  business  life  as  a  clerk  at  No.  229  Broadway,  New  York.  He 
remained  there  for  a  year  and  then  clerked  for  two  years  in  a  tea  and  coffee 
store  on  Greenwich  street,  which  position  he  left  when  seventeen  years  of 
age,  going  to  Greenwich,  Ohio,  where  he  established  a  small  tea  and  coffee 
business,  which  was  not  successful. 

Returning  to  New  York  a  year  later,  chagrinned  at  his  failure  and  dis- 
gusted with  that  line  of  business,  he  secured  employment  from  a  firm  in  New 
York  city  doing  a  retail  business  in  milk,  cream  and  other  dairy  products, 
where  by  close  economy  and  strict  attention  to  business  he  was  enabled, 
after  two  years,  to  buy  a  half  interest  in  a  small  milk  route  in  Mott  Haven, 

New  York  city.     A  little   more   age  and  experience,  together  with  the  con- 
47 


738  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

stant  thought  of  his  first  unsuccessful  effort,  made  him  determined  that  this 
venture  should  not  fail.  The  business  prospered,  and  after  six  years,  during 
which  time  it  had  increased  to  five  routes,  Mr.  Smith,  seeing  the  great  oppor- 
tunities offered  to  an  enterprising  business  in  Mount  Vernon,  then  a  town  of 
about  six  thousand,  but  destined  to  be,  as  it  is  to-day,  a  city  of  homes, 
decided  to  sell  out  and  locate  there,  which  he  did  in  1890,  forming  a  co-part- 
nership with  A.  W.  Halstead  and  establishing  the  Willow  Brook  Dairy, 
'vvhich  has  become  a  household  word  in  Mount  Vernon.  In  1896  a  branch 
•was  established  in  New  Rochelle,  and  in  1897  the  Willow  Brook  creamery 
was  built  by  the  firm  at  Merwinsville,  Connecticut,  in  the  famous  Housatonic 
valley,  where  the  grass  and  pure  spring  water  is  peculiarly  adapted  to  pre- 
: serving  in  milk  a  quality  and  flavor  unsurpassed  by  any  other  section.  The 
iplant  is  a  model  of  its  kind,  having  perfect  natural  drainage  and  pure  spring 
water  piped  to  all  parts  of  the  building,  which  is  constructed  on  the  most 
approved  scientific  plans  for  convenience  and  cleanliness,  and  health  boards 
and  dairy  inspectors  who  have  visited  the  establishment  have  no  hesitancy  in 
{pronouncing  its  equipment  and  the  methods  there  employed  second  to  none. 
Here  at  the  present  time  are  received  daily  over  twelve  thousand  pounds  of 
■milk,  the  greater  portion  of  which  is  put  up  in  glass  jars  and  shipped  to 
Mount  Vernon  and  New  Rochelle.  This  firm  was  one  of  the  first  to  demon- 
strate the  necessity,  in  these  days  of  bacteria,  microbes  and  disease  germs, 
of  employing  centrifugal  force  to  prevent  their  growth  in  milk.  That  this 
method  is  successful  is  proven  by  the  uniform  quality  and  fine  flavor  of  milk 
so  treated,  at  all  seasons  and  regardless  of  climatic  changes.  The  firm  is 
now  running  ten  retail  wagons  and  employ  twenty  men,  doing  a  business  of 
over  eighty  thousand  dollars  per  annum.  Mr.  Smith  has  devoted  a  great 
deal  of  time  and  serious  study  to  the  matter  of  rendering  the  products  which 
he  buys  and  sells  absolutely  pure.  The  results  of  the  labor  and  money 
which  he  has  invested  in  perfecting  the  processes  used  in  his  various  plants 
are  most  satisfactory,  and  he  now  stands  at  the  head  of  the  live,  energetic 
men  whose  duty  it  is  to  supply  the  people  of  the  great  cities  adjacent  with 
pure,  wholesome  milk  and  dairy  products.  While  the  state  board  of  health 
requires  three  per  cent,  of  butter-fat  in  milk,  an  average  of  four  and  a  half 
per  cent,  is  to  be  found  in  the  milk  handled  by  this  firm. 

August  10,  1885,  Mr.  Smith  married  Miss  Minnie  J.  Carey,  and  they 
have  two  sons,  William  Carey  and  Leland  Clarence.  Mrs.  Smith  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  J.  M.  Carey,  a  retired  physician  of  Elmira,  New  York.  He  has 
been  a  very  prominent  man  in  his  profession  and  was  a  member  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania legislature  some  years  ago,  being  elected  to  represent  Wyoming 
county.  He  is  a  veteran  of  the  civil  war,  enlisted  as  a  private,  and  was  pro- 
moted for  gallant  conduct  to  be  captain  of  his  company.      He  was  wounded 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  739 

at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  but  later  rejoined  his  regiment  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war  in  a  cavalry  regiment,  which  did  good  service  at 
the  battle  of  Gettysburg  and  other  important  engagements.  He  now  receives 
a  pension  for  his  brave  and  loyal  support  of  the  Union  in  its  time  of  need. 
Some  of  his  ancestors  suffered  in  the  dreadful  Wyoming  massacre. 


ULRIC  XAVIER  GRIFFIN. 

The  Griffin  family  is  an  old  and  honored  one  in  America.  The  progeni- 
tors of  the  American  branch  came  from  England  more  than  two  hundred 
years  ago.  Francis  Griffin,  grandfather  of  Ulric  Xavier  Griffin,  was  a  native 
of  New  York  city  and  became  eminent  as  a  lawyer,  and  was  for  many  years 
at  the  head  of  the  celebrated  Wall  street  law  firm  of  Francis  Griffin  &  Com- 
pany. He  married  Mary  Sands,  a  daughter  of  an  old  family  of  prominence, 
and  she  bore  him  three  sons  and  two  daughters:  Edward  Dorr  Griffin,  of 
whom  more  will  be  said  later;  Charles  Griffin,  well  known  as  a  civil  engineer; 
George,  now  retired  from  business  pursuits;  Theresa,  wife  of  General  Velie, 
of  New  York  city;  and  Emily  Seaton,  who  married  Colonel  Lyneviet,  of  the 
German  army  and  lives  at  Dresden.  Edward  Dorr  Griffin  received  a  liberal 
education  in  the  United  States  and  Germany.  He  was  educated  for  the  law 
but  never  practiced  his  profession,  preferring  to  live  the  life  of  a  private 
gentleman  at  New  Rochelle.  He  married  Elizabeth  Hicks  and  in  course  of 
time  the  elegant  Hicks  homestead  came  into  his  possession  and  was  his  home 
until  his  death.  He  had  five  children,  of  whom  Ulric  Xavier  was  the  last 
born,  February  21,  1862.  Francis,  the  eldest,  is  a  prominent  lawyer  of 
Brooklyn.  Richard  has  attained  standing  as  an  actor.  Charles  is  a  popular 
physician.      Julia  became  Mrs.  Wheeler. 

Ulric  Xavier  Griffin  was  educated  at  Fordham  College.  Immediately 
after  his  graduation  at  that  institution  in  1878  he  took  up  politics  and  at 
once  became  active  as  a  worker  for  the  success  of  the  Republican  party. 
But,  prominent  as  he  grew  to  be  in  local  political  councils,  he  was  not  an 
office-seeker,  nor  did  he  accept  any  one  of  the  several  offered  him  for  the 
taking  until,  some  years  ago,  with  the  interests  of  the  village  foremost  in  his 
mind,  he  consented  to  become  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  New 
Rochelle.  Under  the  city  organization  he  was,  in  1897,  nominated  by  the 
Repubhcans  and  endorsed  by  the  Democrats  for  alderman  from  the  second 
ward.  He  was  elected  practically  without  opposition  and  re-elected  in  the 
same  manner  in  1899.  Mr.  Griffin  has  been  a  model  alderman,  and  a  board 
composed  of  such  aldermen  would  put  any  city  in  the  country  on  a  high 
place  politically  and  morally.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  more  men  of  his 
ability  and  sterling  honesty  cannot  be  induced  to  take  an  active  interest  in 


740  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

municipal  affairs.  He  has  made  his  influence  felt  as  a  delegate  to  conven- 
tions year  after  year,  and  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  health  has  been  of 
great  service  to  the  city.  He  has  "  served  his  time  "  in  the  fire  department 
as  a  member  of  Huguenot  Engine  company  and  is  now  an  exempt  fireman. 
His  liking  for  sports  afield  and  astream  has  made  him  a  member  of  the 
National  Sportsmen's  Association.  He  is  a  member. of  the  Knights  of  Co- 
lumbus and  of  other  leading  secret  and  social  organizations.  Mr.  Griffin  was 
married  May  28,  1883,  to  Margaret  Day,  a  woman  of  many  accomplishments, 
who  has  borne  him  four  children:      Lilian,  Malvern,  Francis  and   Olive. 

Mr.  Griffin  is  one  of  New  Rochelle's  most  public-spirited  and  helpful 
citizens  and  has  always  given  freely  of  his  time  and  means  to  advance  every 
deserving  local  interest.  He  is  one  of  the  few  men  who  have  had  to  do  with 
the  municipal  affairs  of  the  little  city  who  have  had  the  time  to  study  the 
city's  needs  and  to  lead  in  the  work  of  supplying  them,  and  his  influence  is  of 
a  character  that  renders  it  indispensable  when  the  public  good   is  considered. 


CHARLES  W.  CARPENTER. 

Charles  W.  Carpenter,  proprietor  of  Sunnyside  Farm,  near  Jefferson 
Valley  post  office,  Westchester  county,  is  one  of  the  best-known  agri- 
culturists of  this  county.  He  has  been  a  life-long  resident  within  its  borders, 
and  first  saw  the  light  of  day  in  the  old  family  homestead  at  Shrub  Oak, 
September  18,  1855.  His  father,  John  W.  Carpenter,  was  born  in  the  same 
house,  thirty-six  years  previously,  in  18 19,  and  passed  his  entire  life  in  that 
neighborhood.  He  died  when  in  his  seventy-third  year,  October  16,  1891, 
mourned  by  those  who  had  been  closely  associated  with  him  in  business  and 
social  relations.  His  wife,  Eliza,  the  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Mary 
(Baker)  Horton,  died  in  October,  1892. 

Among  the  oldest  and  most  prominent  residents  of  Shrub  Oak  was  John 
Wilson  Carpenter,  who  was  born  January  7,  18 17.  His  parents  were 
Walter  Carpenter  and  Ann  nee  Summerbell.  His  paternal  ancestors  were 
from  the  north  of  England,  while  his  maternal  were  Scotch.  John  Wilson 
Carpenter  received  a  common-school  education.  Much  of  his  life  was  spent 
on  his  farm  at  Shrub  Oak.  He  was  also  for  a  number  of  years  proprietor 
of  the  Carpenter  House,  at  Lake  Mahopac,  where  he  spent  the  summer 
months.  Mr.  Carpenter  was  a  progressive  and  enterprising  citizen.  He 
represented  his  town  (Yorktown  township)  in  the  board  of  supervisors  dur- 
ing the  years  1877-80.  He  was  married  November  22,  1850,  to  Eliza 
Horton,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Mary  (Baker)  Horton,  and  by  their  union 
they  had  three  children:  Charles  W.,  Walter  and  Jennie.  The  last  named 
resides  with  her  brother,  Walter,  at  Lake  Mahopac. 


^<r7^T>^     ^Z*  /j  OJX^ a^pz/i^ 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  741 

In  his  youth  Charles  W.  Carpenter  mastered  the  various  departments  of 
farm  work  and  became  proficient  in  the  three  "R's"  and  other  branches  of 
learning  taught  in  the  district  schools  of  the  period.  He  concluded  to  follow 
in  the  footsteps  of  his  ancestors  in  the  choice  of  an  occupation,  and  the 
prosperity  which  has  crowned  his  efforts  proves  the  wisdom  of  his  decision 
in  this  important  matter.  About  two  decades  ago  he  purchased  the  beauti- 
ful farm  where  he  is  still  living.  This  property  comprises  two  hundred  and 
fifteen  acres,  suitable  for  general  farming  and  stock-raising.  The  fine  large 
barns  and  dairy-rooms  are  among  the  most  notable  features  of  the  place, 
everything  being  kept  in  excellent  condition.  The  barn  has  box-stalls  for 
the  accommodation  of  forty  horses,  and  the  owner  justly  prides  himself 
on  several  of  his  fine  horses,  which  occupy  the  said  stalls.  In  fact, 
Sunnyside  Farm  is  one  of  the  best  stocked  farms  in  the  county,  and  over  its 
pleasant  green  pastures  large  droves  of  high-grade  Holstein  cattle  roam  at 
will.  The  farm  is  located  about  seven  miles  from  Peekskill  and  is  an  ideal 
country  seat  in  every  respect.  The  proprietor  is  a  practical  farmer  and  uses 
good  judgment  in  the  management  of  all  of  his  business  affairs.  He  is  broad- 
minded  and  liberal  upon  all  questions  and  uses  his  franchise  independent  of 
party  ties. 

On  the  17th  of  April,  1887,  Mr.  Carpenter  was  married  in  New  York 
city,  the  lady  of  his  choice  being  Miss  Viola  Hart,  daughter  of  John  C.  Hart, 
who  for  many  years  was  a  successful  merchant  of  New  York  city  and  is  now 
deceased.  His  wife,  Mary  Ann,  was  a  daughter  of  Stephen  Allen,  who  was 
mayor  of  that  metropolis  in  the  early  days.  Religiously,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Car- 
penter attend  the  Shrub  Oak  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  Mrs. 
Carpenter  is  a  consistent  member.  They  contribute  liberally  of  their  means 
to  the  support  of  the  church  and  kindred  organizations.  Their  hospitality 
and  generosity  are  matters  of  comment  among  their  numerous  friends  and 
acquaintances,  and  all  who  know  them  are  their  well-wishers. 


JOHN  ROMER. 


Captain  John  Romer,  the  last  surviving  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  living 
in  the  town  of  Greenburg,  died  in  1855,  aged  ninety-one  years.  He  was  the 
youngest  of  five  brothers,  sons  of  Jacob  Romer  and  Trena  ne'e  Horlocker, 
who  came  from  Switzerland  and  after  their  marriage  in  the  old  Dutch  church 
in  Sleepy  Hollow,  in  1759,  settled  at  what  is  now  known  as  East  View,  near 
Tarrytown.  It  was  at  this  house  that  the  seven  captors  of  Major  Andre  ob- 
tained their  breakfast  and  had  a  lunch  prepared  by  Mrs.  Romer  and  placed 
in  a  pewter  basin  for  them  to  take  with  them.  James  Romer,  the  brother  of 
John  Romer,  being  one  of  the  party  of  seven  who  had  slept  the  night  prev- 


742  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

ious  in  a  hay  barrack  near  Chappaqua,  guided  his  little  band  to  the  secluded 
home  of  his  father,  to  which  place  they  brought  Major  Andre  immediately 
after  his  capture.  Whilst  dinner  was  being  prepared  they  discovered  that 
they  had  forgotten  the  pewter  basin,  containing  their  lunch,  in  their  hurry  to 
get  their  captive  away  from  the  public  highway.  John  Romer,  being  the 
youngest,  was  sent  to  obtain  it  from  their  place  of  concealment  by  the  noted 
tulip  tree  standing  on  the  east  side  of  the  lower  highway,  some  six  hundred  feet 
west  of  the  upper  road,  where  the  other  party  of  four  had  stationed  them- 
selves. Upon  his  return  with  the  basin  he  accompanied  the  captors,  with 
their  prisoner,  across  the  fields  to  the  nearest  military  post,  where  a  detach- 
ment of  Shelden's  dragoons  were  stationed,  under  command  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Jameson.  John  Romer,  together  with  the  seven  captors,  were  all 
members  of  the  local  militia  regiment,  five  companies  of  which,  having  com- 
pleted some  few  weeks  previous  to  Andre's  capture  one  year's  active  service, 
desired  to  re-enlist  under  the  urgent  call  for  volunteers,  but  were  detained  on 
account  of  the  inability  of  the  state  authorities  to  provide  them  sufficient  pay 
to  support  their  families  for  a  period  of  three  months.  The  depression  of 
the  Continental  currency  was  finally  overcome  by  the  state  substitutingtwelve 
bushels  of  wheat  in  lieu  of  money  to  each  volunteer  for  that  period  of  time. 
After  the  Revolution,  John  Romer  married  Leah,  only  daughter  of 
Lieutenant  Cornelius  Van  Tassel,  of  Colonel  Drake's  regiment.  In  1793 
they  erected  upon  the  site  of  Liutenant  Van  Tassel's  former  residence,  that 
was  burned  by  the  British  in  November,  1777,  the  noted  stone  and  frame 
dwelling  that  was  used  for  more  than  fifty  years  as  the  town  house  and  place 
for  holding  all  the  elections  and  public  meetings  of  the  town  of  Greenburg. 
The  annual  muster  of  the  militia  for  a  large  portion  of  the  county  was  held 
here;  also  the  meetings  of  Solomon's  Lodge  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons 
that  was  organized  at  Mount  Pleasant,  now  known  as  Pleasantville,  after  the 
Revolution.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  made  a  member  in  the  year 
1800,  after  which  the  lodge  was  removed  to  White  Plains,  and  from  there  to 
the  Lieutenant  Van  Tassel  house  in  Greenburg.  It  was  here,  in  1805,  that 
the  Hon.  Daniel  D.  Tompkins,  who  became  governor  of  the  state,  and 
afterward  vice-president  of  the  United  States,  was  first  admitted  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity.  During  Governor  Tompkins'  administration,  Captain 
Romer  took  an  active  part  in  organizing  the  various  companies  and  battalions 
of  militia  required  to  complete  the  various  quotas  of  troops  called  by  several 
acts  of  congress,  and  was  one  of  the  first  to  engage  in  repairing  Fort  Wash- 
ington, on  the  upper  end  of  the  city  of  New  York.  He  took  a  very  active 
part  in  all  public  matters,  and  was  one  of  the  twenty-four  prominent  citizens 
of  Westchester  county  who  signed  the  celebrated  certificate  given  to  Isaac 
Van  Wart,   one  of  the  captors  of   Major  Andre,  whose  character  had  been 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  743 

fiercely  assailed  in  the  debate  in  congress  upon  the  bill  to  increase  the  pen- 
sion of  John  Paulding,  one  of  his  associates  in  that  memorable  event.  At 
the  dedication  of  the  monument  to  the  captors  of  Major  Andre  at  Tarrytown,. 
in  1853,  Captain  John  Romer  was  the  guest  of  honor,  and  the  only  one  then 
living  who  had  seen  Major  Andre  in  person.  He  designated  for  the  commit- 
tee the  correct  place  of  capture  upon  the  east  side  of  the  highway.  The 
owner  of  the  property  objecting  to  locating  it  upon  the  place  designated,  the 
committee  of  arrangements  accepted  the  offer  of  a  piece  of  land  on  the  west 
side  of  the  highway,  some  distance  south  of  the  actual  place  of  capture, 
which  was  generously  deeded  to  them  by  Mr.  Taylor,  formerly  a  slave,  who 
had  purchased  his  freedom  from  bondage. 

Captain  John  Romer  died  at  his  old  homestead  on  the  27th  of  May, 
1855,  ^iid  was  buried  by  Solomon's  Lodge  in  the  church-yard  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  of  Greenburg,  near  the  monument  of  his  life-long  friend,  Isaac 
Van  Wart.  All  the  local  traditions  and  reports  concerning  him  indicate  that 
be  was  kind,  honest  and  upright,  a  good  citizen  and  a  pleasant  neighbor, 
possessing  during  life  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  who  knew  him.  The  fact 
that  he  was  a  soldier  at  sixteen,  and  again  at  the  age  of  forty-eight,  serving  his 
country  at  the  two  extremes  of  life,  as  it  were,  is  a  sufficient  indication  that  in 
patriotism  he  was  a  worthy  representative  of  the  Westchester  county  yeo- 
men, whose  fidelity,  perseverance  and  endurance  did  so  much  for  the  cause 
of  American  liberty  in  the  days  that  tried  men's  souls. 


ARTHUR  W.   NUGENT. 


Lieutenant  Arthur  Wellesley  Nugent  is  a  son  of  Richard  and  Elizabeth- 
(Scarner)  Nugent  and  was  born  at  Yonkers,  New  York,  September  11,  1863. 
He  was  one  of  ten  brothers,  five  of  whom  are  living,  and  more  than  one  of 
whom  possessed  a  patriotic  and  a  military  spirit  which  impelled  them  to 
endure  hardship  and  risk  life  in  the  service  of  their  country.  Frederick  was 
killed  at  Kobe,  Japan,  while  with  Admiral  Proctor  in  a  United  States  flag- 
ship. He  was  a  graduate  of  the  school-ship  St.  Mary  and  a  promising  young 
officer  in  the  naval  and  merchant-marine  service.  Charles  served  during  the 
recent  Spanish-American  war  as  first  lieutenant  of  Company  B,  Two  Hun- 
dred and  Third  Regiment.  Robert  was  a  member  of  Company  D,  Sixteenth 
Battalion,  and  participated  in  its  operations  at  Verplanke  Point,  Peekskill, 
and  other  localities. 

Arthur  Wellesley  Nugent  enlisted  in  the  Fourth  Separate  Company,  Na- 
tional Guard  of  New  York,  July  7,  1885;  was  warranted  corporal  December  24, 
1889;  was  warranted  sergeant  January  20,  1894,  and  commissioned  second 
lieutenant  of  the  National  Guard  of  New  York  March  4,  1898,  by  Governor 


744  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

Black.  On  July  6th  following  Governor  Black  commissioned  him  first  lieu- 
tenant in  the  Two  Hundred  and  Second  New  York  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
he  was  assigned  to  duty  with  Company  G,  and  did  gallant  service  in  the 
Spanish-American  war.  He  was  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United 
States  with  his  regiment  at  Buffalo,  July  21,  and  was  stationed  successively 
at  Camp  Black,  Long  Island,  Camp  Meade,  at  Middletown,  Pennsylvania, 
and  Camp  Haskell,  at  Athens,  Georgia.  Thence  the  regiment  went  to 
Savannah,  Georgia,  and  from  Savannah,  by  transports,  to  Havana,  Cuba. 
For  a  month  it  was  stationed  at  Pinar  del  Rio,  in  the  province  of  the  same 
name,  later,  with  headquarters  at  Guanajay,  it  did  garrison  and  provost  duty 
at  different  points.  He  subsequently  saw  varying  service  elsewhere  in  Cuba 
and  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  April  15,  1899,  at  Savannah,  Georgia, 
and  returned  home.  He  is  still  a  member  of  the  Fourth  Separate  Company, 
— Company  A,  First  Regiment,  N.  G.  N.  Y. 

Lieutenant  Nugent  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Yonkers,  and 
under  private  tutors,  and  while  yet  quite  young  engaged  in  electrical  contract- 
ing. He  secured  many  large  contracts  to  fit  up  public  and  private  buildings 
with  electrical  apparatus  and  conveniences,  at  times  employed  twenty-five  to 
thirty  men,  aad  in  a  general  way  won  a  flattering  success. 

Politically,  Lieutenant  Nugent  affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party  and 
personally  he  is  so  popular  that  it  would  be  hard  for  him  to  keep  out  of 
office  entirely.  He  has  served  one  term  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  alder- 
men of  Yonkers,  and  has  done  good  work  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
laws  and  ordinances  and  as  a  member  of  other  important  committees.  He 
is  a  prominent  Mason  and  Odd  Fellow  and  a  member  of  Shaffner  Encamp- 
ment and  one  of  its  past  chief  patriarchs.  In  Rising  Star  Lodge,  A.  F.  & 
A. ,  M.  and  in  Yonkers  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  he  is  a  faithful  and  efficient  worker. 

The  Lieutenant  was  married  March  22,  1888,  to  Frances  Ewing,  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  John  Ewing,  who  will  be  remembered  as  a  prominent  citizen 
and  a  landscape-gardener  of  artistic.accomplishments.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren, named  Edith  A.,  Helen  and  Arthur  Wellesley  Nugent,  Jr. 


ISAAC  PURDY. 


Mr.  Purdy  is  one  of  the  best  and  most  favorably  known  citizens  of  West- 
chester county,  having  long  been  prominently  identified  with  the  business 
interests  of  his  locality  and  recently  the  most  popular  member  of  the  county 
board  of  supervisors.  Of  great  business  and  executive  ability  and  broad 
resources,  he  has  attained  a  prominent  place  among  the  substantial  citizens 
of  his  part  of  the  county,  with  Purdy  Station,  named  in  honor  of  his  father, 
as  his  residence   and   the  center  of  his  operations.      He  has  won  success  by 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  745 

his  well  directed,  energetic  efforts,  and  the  prosperity  that  has  come  to  him 
is  certainly  well  deserved. 

Mr.  Purdy  was  born  November  3,  1852,  and  is  a  representative  of  an 
old  and  well-known  family,  being  able  to  trace  his  ancestry  back  for  many 
generations.  His  great-grandfather,  Joseph  Purdy,  was  born  September  5, 
1744,  and  married  Letitia  Guile.  Their  son  Isaac,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  born  January  6,  1773,  and  on  reaching  man's  estate  wedded 
Miss  Lydia  Clift,  by  whom  he  had  five  children, — Samuel  C,  Sallie  Ann, 
Roxanna,  Clarissa  and  Lydia.  After  her  death  he  married  Anna  Hart,  and 
by  this  marriage  there  were  two  children, — Isaac  Hart  and  Mary  Eliza.  For 
his  third  wife  Mr.  Purdy  was  united  in  marriage  with  Jane  Grant,  and  to 
them  were  born  three  daughters, — Jane,  Letitia  and  Christina.  Mr.  Purdy 
filled  the  office  of  supervisor  from  1823  to  1827. 

Isaac  H.  Purdy,  our  subject's  father,  was  born  June  19,  1813,  and  in 
1839  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  W.  Lyon,  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
Lyon,  a  representative  of  an  old  and  honored  family,  and  his  wife,  Mary 
(Totten)  Lyon,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Gilbert  Totten.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Purdy 
became  the  parents  of  five  children,  namely:  Elizabeth  Lyon,  Mary,  Anna 
Hart,  Isaac  and  Thomas  Lyon.  The  father,  who  was  a  Democrat  in  polit- 
ical sentiment,  and  highly  respected  as  a  citizen  of  this  county,  died  in  1891 
at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  The  widowed  mothea:  now  finds  a  pleas- 
ant home  with  our  subject.  Mr.  Purdy  was  the  supervisor  of  his  township 
from  1846  to  1850  and  from  1856  to  1857. 

Reared  in  Westchester  county,  Isaac  Purdy  obtained  his  education  in  its 
public  schools,  and  since  leaving  the  school-room  has  devoted  his  attention 
to  business  pursuits.  He  has  been  engaged  in  the  milling  business  and  other 
enterprises,  and  in  all  he  has  met  with  marked  success. 

Like  his  father,  he  gives  his  political  support  to  the  men  and  measures 
of  the  Democratic  party,  and  he  is  now  serving  most  creditably  as  a  county 
supervisor.  Both  in  his  party  and  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  supervisors, 
he  is  a  leader,  and  has  become  one  of  the  best  and  most  favorably  known 
men  in  the  county.  His  election  as  a  Democrat  to  the  board  of  supervisors 
is  particularly  significant  of  his  popularity  in  both  the  great  parties,  as  he  is 
thus  elected  in  a  county  that  has  heretofore  been  represented  by  a  long  line 
of  Republican  supervisors,  and  his  district,  North  Salem  township,  has  always 
been  the  strongest  Republican  locality  in  the  county.  It  is  only  his  personal 
popularity  that  has  drawn  votes  so  heavily  from  both  parties.  His  re-election 
in  1898  is  a  testimonial  to  the  fidelity  to  all  the  duties  of  his  office.  At  the 
time  he  was  first  elected  he  was  acting  as  school  trustee,  and  an  attempt  was 
made  in  the  courts  to  oust  him  from  the  supervisorship.  He  served  during 
thesessi  ons  of   1896-7,  and  was  placed  on  many  important  committees  by 


746  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

Gideon  W.  Davenport,  who  was  then  chairman  of  the  board,  but  was  debarred 
from  acting  at  the  opening  sessions  of  the  board  in  1897-8  by  a  decision  of 
the  courts,  which  held  that  the  holding  of  the  office  of  school  trustee  made 
him  ineligible  for  election  as  supervisor.  The  town  officers  of  his  county, 
when  all  Republican,  appointed  Mr.  Purdy  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the 
decision  of  the  courts,  and  his  re-election  later  approved  this  appointment, 
and  he  received  the  largest  majority  ever  given  a  Democrat  in  North  Salem 
township,  carrying  with  him  into  office  the  full  Democratic  ticket  for  the  first 
time  in  the  history  of  the  town.  Chauncey  Secor,  chairman  of  the  board  at 
that  time,  honored  him  with  appointment  on  three  of  the  most  significant 
committees,  namely,  those  on  the  county  treasurer,  the  auditing  of  the  sheriff's 
bills  (of  which  he  was  appointed  chairman),  and  also  a  special  committee  to 
prepare  plans  for  the  erection  of  an  addition  to  the  court-house,  of  which 
also  he  was  chairman.  In  the  auditing  of  the  sheriff's  bills  he  was  brought 
in  contact  with  a  wide  range  of  business,  which  involved  the  auditing  of  bills 
aggregating  more  than  a  hundred  thousand  dollars.  During  the  campaigns 
the  public  press  gave  uniform  testimony  establishing  his  high  moral  character, 
business  efficiency  and  official  integrity. 


JOSEPH  H.   LEWIS. 


The  healthy  growth  and  development  of  a  community  depends  largely 
upon  its  real-estate  dealers,  who  exercise  a  wide  influence  in  the  settlement 
of  a  locality.  It  largely  lies  in  their  power  to  determine  the  class  of  people 
that  shall  become  residents  of  a  given  district,  the  property  of  which  they 
handle,  and  thus  their  labors  may  prove  of  great  benefit  or  detriment.  Joseph 
H.  Lewis,  one  of  the  most  enterprising  citizens  of  "White  Plains,  in  his 
province  as  a  leading  real-estate  dealer,  has  done  effective  work  for  the 
advancement  and  upbuilding  of  the  city,  and  belongs  to  that  class  of  repre- 
sentative Americans  who  while  securing  individual  prosperity  also  contribute 
materially  to  the  public  good.  His  business  reputation  is  unassailable,  his 
honorable  methods  and  correct  policy  winning  him  the  confidence  and  regard 
of  all  with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in  contact. 

Mr.  Lewis  was  born  in  Williamsbutg,  Hampshire  county,  Massachusetts, 
July  31,  1835,  a  son  of  Joseph  J.  and  Mary  R.  (Rhoades)  Lewis.  Prior  to 
the  Revolutionary  war  the  family  was  founded  in  Massachusetts,  and  Joseph 
Lewis,  the  great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  loyally  aided  in  the  struggle  for 
independence,  taking  part  in  the  ever  memorable  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  The 
grandfather,  also  named  Joseph,  was  born  in  the  Bay  state,  but  the  father 
of  our  subject  was  a  native  of  Middletown,  Connecticut,  his  birth  occurring 
therein  18 10.      He  married   Miss  Rhoades,  who  was  born  in   Chesterfield, 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  747^ 

Massachusetts,  in  1811,  a  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Mary  (Flower)  Rhoades, 
who  also  were  natives  of  Chesterfield.  In  1840  Joseph  J.  Lewis  removed- 
with  his  family  to  Westchester  county,  New  York,  settling  in  the  village  of 
Sing  Sing,  where  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  saddlery  hardware  for 
several  years.  He  died  in  1867,  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  Sing  Sing, 
December  27,   1884. 

Joseph  H.  Lewis,  whose  name  introduces  this  record,  was  only  a  small 
boy  when  brought  by  his  parents  to  Westchester  county.  He  obtained  his- 
elementary  education  in  Sing  Sing  and  for  several  years  attended  a  school  at 
Pittsfield,  Massachusetts,  supplemented  by  a  course  in  the  Peekskill  Academy. 
After  spending  two  years  in  New  York  city  he  went  to  Columbus,  Ohio, 
where  for  four  years  he  was  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  saddlery  hard- 
ware for  Peter  Hayden.  Later  he  spent  several  years  in  the  manufacture  of 
malleable  iron,  in  Newark,  New  Jersey.  In  1867  he  came  to  White  Plains- 
and  was  appointed  by  J.  Malcolm  Smith  to  the  position  of  deputy  county 
clerk,  in  which  office  he  continued  by  reappointment  for  fifteen  years,  dis- 
charging his  duties  in  a  most  acceptable  and  faithful  manner.  On  the  expira- 
tion of  that  period  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  real-estate  business  and  has 
since  handled  both  city  and  farm  property,  meeting  with  excellent  success  in 
his  endeavors. 

On  the. 9th  of  December,  1863,  Mr.  Lewis  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Deborah  A.  Newman,  youngest  daughter  of  Ebenezer  M.  and  Amanda 
J.  (CombesJ  Newman.  She  was  born  in  the  town  of  Mount  Pleasant,  West- 
chester"county,  and  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the  old  and  prominent  fam- 
ilies of  this  locality.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewis  have  three  children, —  two  sons 
and  one  daughter,  —  namely:  Joseph  H.,  Mary  Amanda  and  Frank  Tilford. 
In  his  political  views  Mr.  Lewis  is  a  Democrat,  and  the  religious  faith  of 
himself  and  wife  is  in  accord  with  the  teachings  of  the  Dutch  Reformed 
church.  They  hold  membership  in  the  church  of  that  denomination  at  Elms- 
ford,  and  Mr.  Lewis  is  serving  as  one  of  its  deacons.  Their  beautiful  home, 
Woodside,  is  one  of  the  attractive  residences  of  White  Plains,  and  for  it& 
hospitality  it  is  widely  celebrated. 


THE  WILDEY  FAMILY. 


The  Wildey  family,  prominent  in  Westchester  county  in  early  days,  is 
descended  from  Thomas  Wildey,  who  probably  came  here  from  Mamaro- 
neck,  though  at  a  still  earlier  date,  1698,  the  names  of  Wilde  and  Elizabeth, 
his  wife,  appear  in  the  census  of  Flushing,  Long  Island.  Very  probably  they 
were  the  parents  of  Thomas  Wildey,  of  PhiHpse  manor,  who  was  the  great- 
grandfather of  Mrs.  Storm,  the  wife  of  Captain  John  I.  Storm,  whose  sketch. 


748  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

appears  in  this  work.  His  will,  dated  October  7,  1776,  showed  him  to  be 
possessed  of  a  considerable  estate.  After  the  Revolution  his  farm,  of  two 
hundred  and  sixty-two  acres,  comprising  the  present  Benedict-Cobb  estate 
and  other  lands  adjoining,  came  into  possession  of  his  sons-in-law,  Colonel 
Hammond  and  Captain  George  Comb,  who  were  his  executors.  He  left  the 
following  children:  Griffin,  Joseph,  Jacob,  Caleb,  Thomas,  John,  Nencia 
(wife  of  Colonel  Hammond),  Elizabeth  (wife  of  Captain  Comb)  and  Sarah. 
Of  these,  Thomas  Wildey,  Jr.  (as  the  name  is  now  spelled),  had  a  son  Will- 
iam, who  was  the  father  of  William  H.  Wildey,  now  of  Peekskill. 

Caleb  Wildey,  son  of  Thomas,  Sr. ,  lived  on  the  property  at  the  corner 
of  Wildey  street  and  Broadway  in  Tarrytown.  He  married  Deborah  McKeel, 
and  among  their  children  was  Pierre,  who  wedded  Mary  Ann  Mandeville,  and 
was  the  father  of  Pierre  W.  Wildey. ,  Esq. ,  of  New  York.  The  other  sons  of 
Caleb  Wildey,  Sr. ,  were  Caleb,  Jr.,  William  A.  and  Elisha.  A  daughter 
married  the  late  Henry  L.  Haight,  who  was  engaged  in  business  with  his 
brother-in-law,  Pierre  Wildey,  at  Philipse  manor,  for  many  years,  being  well 
known  and  influential  members  of  the  old  Point  Dock  Regency.  Another 
daughter,  Sarah,  married  Jasper  Odell  and  was  the  mother  of  John  J.  Odell, 
of  Tarrytown. 


JOHN  C.  L.  HAMILTON. 


John  Cornelius  Leon  Hamilton,  the  youngest  son  of  John  C.  A.  Hamil- 
ton and  Angeline,  nee  Rdmer,  was  born  in  Galena,  Illinois,  November  29, 
1842,  and  is  a  direct  descendant  of  General  Alexander  Hamilton,  and  Eliza- 
beth, 7iee  Schuyler,  on  his  paternal  side.  Captain  John  Romer,  his  grand- 
father, and  Lieutenant  Cornelius  Van  Tassel,  both  of  the  Revolution,  were 
his  maternal  ancestors.  He  was  educated  in  the  pubhc  and  private  schools 
of  the  town  of  Greenburg,  Westchester  county.  New  York. 

After  completing  a  three-years  course  of  study  at  the  noted  Paulding 
Institute  at  Tarrytown,  he  was  sent  to  Rutgers  College,  New  Jersey,  and 
while  engaged  in  his  studies  there  the  call  for  seventy-five  thousand  volun- 
teers to  uphold  the  flag  was  made  by  the  president,  Abraham  Lincoln,  under 
which  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  C,  Fifth  New  York  Volunteers 
(Duryee's  Zouaves),  and  participated  with  that  heroic  regiment  in  the  first 
real  battle  of  the  rebellion,  at  Big  Bethel,  Virginia.  On  the  arrival  of  a  por- 
tion of  the  regiment  at  Baltimore  from  a  protracted  march  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  down  the  eastern  shore  of  Maryland,  in  December,  1861,  he 
was  detailed  as  private  secretary  to  the  brigade  commander,  and  while  acting 
as  such  revised  and  corrected  for  publication  a  voluminous  manuscript  upon 
the  "Art  of  War,"  and  at  the  same  time  continued  the  study  of  military 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  749 

engineering,  under  the  supervision  of  Colonel  Gouverneur  K.  Warren.  Upon 
the  organization  of  the  Third  New  York  Artillery,  early  in  1862,  he  was  com- 
missioned a  second  lieutenant  and  joined  Company  G  of  that  regiment,  sta- 
tioned at  Fort  Woodbury,  near  Bull  Run,  Virginia,  and  was  immediately 
detailed  to  drill  and  instruct  the  officers  in  infantry  and  artillery  practice  at 
Fort  Cochran,  that  state.  The  regiment  having  been  ordered  to  reinforce 
General  Burnside's  expedition  in  North  Carolina,  Lieutenant  Hamilton,  imme- 
diately after  its  arrival  at  New  Berne,  that  state,  was  detached  by  orders  of 
Generals  John  G.  Foster  and  Burnside  from  his  regiment  and  assigned  to  the 
engineer  corps.  His  services  in  this  particular  line  of  duty  were  of  the  most 
arduous  kind.  Several  thousands  of  unskilled  contrabands  were  employed 
that  required  constant  supervision.  The  construction  of  forts,  redoubts  and 
breast-works,  and  strengthening  of  strategic  points,  permitting  of  no  rest  or 
relief  from  the  extreme  heat  and  enervating  climate. 

Fort  Macon,  distant  forty-two  miles  from  New  Berne,  having  been  cap- 
tured, Lieutenant  Hamilton  was  directed  to  open  an  air  line  through  the 
woods  and  swamps  and  construct  observatories  for  the  use  of  the  signal  corps 
to  that  point.  When  this  important  work  was  completed  he  was  carried  to 
the  hospital,  where  the  ravages  of  typhoid  and  malarial  fever  soon  reduced 
him  to  a  mere  skeleton,  so  that  he  weighed  but  eighty-five  pounds.  His 
friends  gave  up  all  hope,  and  the  chaplain  had  taken  note  of  the  last  requests 
to  family  and  friends.  The  turning  point  toward  recovery  came  rapidly, 
however,  and  when  application  for  a  leave  of  absence  for  thirty  days  was 
made  it  was  returned  endorsed,  "  Request  denied:"  the  services  of  this  officer 
were  too  valuable  to  be  spared.  The  attention  of  the  medical  director  of 
the  department  having  been  called  to  the  matter,  that  officer  issued  the 
desired  leave,  and  upon  its  expiration,  September  i,  1862,  orders  from 
Major-General  Foster  directed  Lieutenant  Hamilton  to  proceed  and  fortify 
Washington,  North  Carolina.  Four  days  after  his  arrival  there  the  enemy 
made  a  fierce  attack  upon  the  small  garrison.  For  several  hours  the  unequal 
hand-to-hand  struggle  continued  in  the  streets  and  severe  losses  occurred 
upon  both  sides.  Lieutenant  Hamilton  upon  this  occasion  displayed  the 
utmost  coolness  and  bravery,  and  although  the  enemy  had  taken  a  large 
number  of  his  men  prisoners  and  captured  four  brass  field  pieces,  the  contest 
was  continued  with  the  fifth  gun  until  he  alone  was  left,  twenty-two  of  his 
command  having  fallen  around  him  before  the  order  to  retreat  was  given! 

After  the  battle  active  work  upon  the  fortifications  was  continued  for 
several  months,  during  which  Mr.  Hamilton  gave  all  his  spare  time,  in  con- 
nection with  Lieutenant  John  J.  Lay  of  the  navy,  in  perfecting  an  experi- 
mental torpedo  vessel,  which,  upon  its  trial,  proved  a  great  success,  and  by 
direction  of  the  secretary  of  the  navy  five  vessels  were  directed   to  be  built 


750  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

after  the  plans  developed.  The  first  constructed  was  sent  to  the  fleet  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Roanoke  river  in  Albemarle  sound,  and  under  the  command  of 
Lieutenant  Gushing  destroyed  the  iron-clad  ram  Albemarle,  at  Plymouth, 
North  Carolina.  Orders  were  then  issued  assigning  Lieutenant  Hamilton 
chief  engineer  to  Major-General  Hunt,  afterward  the  chief  of  artillery  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  That  officer  gave  him  a  number  of  men  with  instruc- 
tions to  construct  a  fort  upon  Neuse  river,  afterward  known  as  Fort  Heck- 
man,  but,  owing  to  the  large  number  of  men  and  government  supplies  at 
Washington,  North  Carolina,  and  the  urgent  necessity  of  completing  the 
works  at  that  point,  Major-General  Palmer,  commanding  the  department, 
directed  Lieutenant  Hamilton  to  return  there.  On  March  31,  1863,  Major- 
General  Foster  arrived  and  ordered  Lieutenant  Hamilton  to  ascertain 
whether  the  Confederate  forces  of  General  Hill  that  he  expected  would  soon 
attack  the  garrison  had  arrived  with  artillery  at  Red  Hill,  a  Confederate  out- 
post. In  executing  this  order  one  captain  and  five  privates  of  the  Forty- 
fourth  Massachusetts  Volunteers  were  wounded.  The  enemy  had  not  then 
arrived  in  force,  but  did  during  the  night  and  completely  surrounded  the  town. 

At  daylight,  April  i,  they  commenced  an  attack  upon  one  of  our  naval 
vessels,  the  Commodore  Hull,  which  unfortunately  was  aground.  Lieuten- 
ant Hamilton  was  ordered,  with  two  small  rifle  cannons,  to  take  position 
upon  an  exposed  point  on  the  river  and  endeavor  to  draw  the  enemy's  fire 
away  from  the  gunboat,  which  had  been  struck  one  hundred  and  four  times 
and  had  all  her  guns  dismounted.  The  enemy  were  so  intent  upon  sinking 
this  vessel  that  no  attention  was  paid  to  the  guns  on  shore  until  the  gunboat, 
released  from  her  position  by  the  rising  tide,  started  rapidly  away.  Then 
they  turned  their  fourteen  Whitworth  guns  against  the  two,  and  kept  up  a 
constant  fire  until  dark.  General  Foster  directed  that  a  fort  be  constructed 
at  this  exposed  point  during  the  night,  and  siege  guns  mounted.  This  he 
built  and  named  it  Fort  Hamilton,  in  honor  of  its  commander.  It  bore  a 
•conspicuous  part  in  that  memorable  siege  that  lasted  twenty  days. 

Lieutenant  Hamilton's  health  having  become  very  much  impaired,  he 
returned  north,  during  the  draft  riots,  and  took  an  active  part  in  quelling  the 
disturbances  at  Tarrytown,  and  after  a  much  needed  rest  returned  to  the 
front.  By  advice  of  his  physicians  he  resided  for  a  considerable  time  after 
the  close  of  the  Rebellion  in  the  thickly  wooded  pine-tree  sections  of  the 
south.  The  later  years  of  his  life  has  been  spent  in  the  neighborhood  of  his 
boyhood  home.  He  has  contributed  many  interesting  historical  sketches  to 
the  public  press,  and  for  the  past  few  years  has  been  engaged  in  gathering 
material  for  a  history  of  Phillips  Manor. 

At  4:30  A.  M.  on  the  morning  of  September  6,  1862,  Lieutenant  Hamil- 
.ton  became  acquainted  with  a  young  lady  of  Washington,  North  Carolina, 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  751 

who  had  appealed  to  him,  in  the  midst  of  a  fierce  hand-to-hand  conflict,  for 
protection,  some  of  the  opposing  military  forces,  separated  in  the  heat  of 
the  battle  from  their  comrades  without  permission,  having  taken  refuge  upon 
her  premises  and  in  her  dwellings.  This  brief  acquaintance  was  rewarded 
successfully  a  short  time  afterward  when  Lieutenant  Hamilton  appealed  to 
the  young  lady  to  provide  a  home  and  shelter  for  an  aged  slave,  he  having 
been  the  trusted  family  servant  of  the  leading  Confederate  of  all  that  terri- 
tory. This  interview  also  procured  the  use  of  a  warehouse  with  forge  and 
much  needed  temporary  supply  of  coal,  which  contributed  toward  the  con- 
struction of  the  experimental  torpedo  boat,  in  order  to  bridge  over  the  delay 
until  charcoal  kilns  could  be  prepared  and  burned.  These  casual  interviews, 
principally  of  a  formal  business  nature,  were,  however,  destined  to  bring 
about  a  permanent  acquaintance.  Lieutenant  Hamilton's  duties  being  of 
such  an  onerous  character,  requiring  the  use  of  three  horses  during  the  day 
and  much  mental  labor  until  late  at  night,  and  his  health  not  fully  recovered, 
at  length  he  suddenly  succumbed,  and  was  found  in  an  unconscious  state  at 
his  quarters  surrounded  by  his  colored  servants  and  was  taken  to  the  private 
house  of  a  Union  resident,  where  several  days  elapsed  before  signs  of  return- 
ing strength  were  noticed,  the  news  of  which  spread  rapidly  and  soon  caused 
unwisely  the  sick  chamber  to  be  filled  with  many  friends,  one  of  whom, 
quietly  approaching  the  bedside,  presented  two  beautiful  roses,  emblematic 
of  the  colors  of  the  Confederacy,  that  were  destined  never  to  be  separated 
from  those  of  the  American  Union. 

Invitations  announcing  the  marriage  of  Miss  Sarah  F.  Pugh  to  Lieuten- 
ant Hamilton  on  March  3,  1863,  brought  together  at  the  bride's  home  a  large 
gathering  of  army  and  naval  officers,  which  the  garrison  supplemented  by 
turning  out  in  review  and  by  giving  them  a  national  salute  upon  their  arrival 
at  the  principal  fort.  This  compliment  the  bride,  however,  was  called  upon 
to  return  before  the  close  of  the  month,  she  having  worked  night  and  day  in 
preparing  cartridge  bags,  using  her  own  clothing  and  working  when  shot  and 
shell  came  crashing  all  about  and  through  the  very  room  she  was  em- 
ployed in! 

When  the  heat  of  the  strife  had  subsided  preparations  were  made  to 
visit  the  north,  but  scarcely  had  foot  been  set  upon  the  soil  of  the  Excelsior 
state  before  orders  to  report  for  military  duty  in  order  to  quell  the  riots  then 
in  progress  were  given.  Here  again  cartridge  bags  had  to  be  made,  and  the 
military  experience  of  the  bride  and  groom  gave  the  citizens  of  Tarrytown 
their  first  opportunity  to  witness  the  impromptu  manufacture  of  some  very 
dangerous  ammunition,  which  fortunately  did  much  toward  quelHng  the  riots. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hamilton  four  sons  and  one  daughter  were  born: 
Frank,  general  superintendent  of  the  department  of  horticulture  in  the  parks 


752  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

of  New  York  city;  Mary  Schuyler  Hamilton,  teacher  at  Pocantico  Hills, 
Westchester  county;  Philip  Lee,  foreman  for  Pierson  &  Company;  Joseph 
T.,  engineer;  and  John  C. ,  at  home. 


JOHN  J.  SLOANE. 

The  successful  conduct  of  an  extensive  business  enterprise  demands 
ability  and  talent  of  no  less  pronounced  order  than  that  of  the  poet,  the 
musician,  the  inventor  or  the  scientist.  Comparatively  few  are  the  men  who 
are  capable  of  handling  mammoth  business  interests.  To  do  this  one  must 
have  great  energy,  keen  discrimination  and  sagacity,  perseverance  and  the 
ability  to  read  and  understand  men.  To  these  innate  qualities  he  must  add 
tact,  courtesy  and  above  all  unquestioned  integrity,  and  then  ma}'  he  hope 
to  stand  among  the  successlul  few.  While  some  of  these  qualities  are  in  a 
measure  the  heritage  of  the  individual  they  are  of  no  consequence  until 
brought  into  the  clear  light  of  the  utilitarian  and  practical  life;  they  grow  by 
exercise,  and  development  comes  through  effort.  It  is  through  the  possession 
and  exercise  of  these  qualities  that  John  J.  Sloane  has  steadily  advanced  to 
the  leading  position  which  he  occupies  in  the  business  circles  of  Yonkers  as 
manager  for  the  American  Wringer  Company. 

He  was  born  in  the  village  of  Cleator,  county  of  Cumberland,  England, 
March  24,  1864,  his  parents  being  Richard  and  Ann  (McCabe)  Sloane.  The 
father  was  a  mining  contractor  in  the  north  of  England,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  society  commonly  known  as  the  Ancient  Order  of  Foresters.  His  wife 
died  May  29,  1891,  at  the  age  of  forty-six  years.  They  were  the  parents  of 
ten  children:  John  J.,  Elizabeth,  Mary,  Susan,  Agnus,  Theresa,  Sarah  J., 
Rose,  Kate  and  Richard.  In  1892  Mr.  Richard  Sloane,  the  father,  came  to 
America. 

John  J.  Sloane  acquired  his  education  in  the  parochial  schools  of  Eng- 
land, and  after  laying  aside  his  text-books  secured  a  position  as  time-keeper 
in  the  mines  of  England,  where  he  was  employed  for  six  years.  He  after- 
ward engaged  in  mining  contracting,  which  he  followed  for  about  twenty 
years,  during  which  time  he  became  thoroughly  famihar  with  the  business  in 
every  detail.  On  attaining  his  majority  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  New 
World,  locating  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  accepted  a  position 
as  clerk  in  a  paint  and  oil  manufactory.  In  1886  he  removed  to  Yonkers, 
but  later  spent  some  time  in  the  south  in  the  employ  of  a  drill  company,  in 
setting  up  their  steam  drills.  Subsequently  he  entered  the  service  of  the 
Metropolitan  Manufacturing  Company,  now  the  American  Wringer  Company, 
at  Yonkers,  and  has  since  been  connected  therewith,  having  served  as  mana- 
ger of  the  Yonkers  branch  of  the  business  since   1888.      He  has  built  up  an. 


^f/iJ^f.  P!^(W/^. 


O 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  753 

extensive  trade  in  this  locality,  extending  as  far  north 'as  Albany,  and  now 
employs  forty-five  men  and  nine  horses  and  wagons  in  the  conduct  of  the 
business.  He  has  established  four  branch  stores,  located  at  Newburg,  Pough- 
keepsie,  Kingston  and  Hudson,  doing  an  annual  business  of  over  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  When  Mr.  Sloane  became  manager  the  business  trans- 
acted through  his  department  amounted  to  only  about  thirty  thousand  dol- 
lars per  annum, — a  comparison  of  the  two  figures  plainly  indicating  his 
excellent  management.  He  employs  five  clerks  in  his  office,  his  oversight  of 
the  business  is  continually  resulting  in  an  extension  of  the  trade,  and  he  has. 
made  judicious  investments  of  his  earnings  in  profitable  property,  owning  at 
the  present  time  a  number  of  good  tenement  houses  in  Yonkers. 

On  the  8th  of  November,  1887,  Mr.  Sloane  was  united  in  marriage  to' 
Miss  Margaret  M.  Stafford,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Jane  (Anderson)  Staf- 
ford, and  to  them  have  been  born  the  following  named  children:  Jane, 
deceased;  Ann;  Richard,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years;  Jennie  and  John 
Joseph.  The  family  are  communicants  of  St.  Mary's  Roman  Catholic 
church.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Sloane  is  a  stalwart  Democrat,  and  on 
various  occasions  has  served  as  a  delegate  to  the  conventions  of  his  party. 
In  189,8,  at  the  Democratic  county  convention,  he  was  chosen  as  their  can- 
didate for  the  assembly,  his  opponent  on  the  Republican  ticket  being  John 
Mulligan,  a  popular  and  representative  citizen.  Mr.  Sloane  received  a  sub- 
stantial majority  over  his  opponent,  having  run  ahead  of  his  ticket  in  the 
city  of  Yonkers  and  Mount  Vernon  and  several  other  voting  districts.  He 
belongs  to  various  social  and  fraternal  organizations,  joined  Nepera  Tribe,, 
No.  186,  I.  O.  R.  M.,  at  Yonkers,  in  1891;  the  same  evening  was  appointed 
chief  of  the  records;  in  January,  1892,  was  elected  sachem  of  the  tribe;  was 
re-elected  in  1893,  and  again  in  1895.  I"  i893  hs  was  elected  a  delegate  to 
the  state  convention  of  the  order,  in  Binghamton;  in  1894  was  sent  as  a  rep- 
resentative from  the  local  tribe  to  the  convention  in  Rochester;  in  1895  was 
a  delegate  to  New  York  city  and  there  was  elected  great  representative  to. 
the  great  council  of  the  United  States  and  was  appointed  a  member  of  the 
committee  on  state  charters,  serving  two  years.  The  same  year  he  received, 
a  handsome  gold  medal  from  the  Nepera  Tribe,  I.  O.  R.  M.,  at  Yonkers,  as. 
a  mark  of  esteem  and  fellowship.  In  1896  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  state 
convention  in  Saratoga,  and  has  attended  three  sessions  of  the  great  con- 
vention of  the  United  States,  held  in  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  Minneapolis, 
Minnesota,  and  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  respectively.  In  1897  he  was 
elected  to  the  state  council  at  Buffalo,  and  in  1898  was  state  delegate  to- 
Avon  Springs,  where  he  was  re-elected  great  representative  to  the  great 
council  of  the  United  States,  held  in  Indianapolis  in  September,  1898,  and 
at  Washington  in  September,  1899.      He  is  also  an  honored  member  of  the 

48 


754  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Foresters,  of  which  he  has  been  three  times  elected  chief  ranger.  He  was 
also  representative  to  the  state  lodge  in  1897,  and  was  presented  with  a  hand- 
some gold  badge  by  the  Palisade  Lodge,  of  Yonkers,  also  sent  to  the  national 
meeting  of  that  organization.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective 
'Order  of  Elks  of  New  York  city,  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Honor,  was  one 
of  the  organizers  and  a  charter  member  of  the  I'Cnights  of  Columbia,  and  at 
present  is  a  deputy  grand  knight  of  the  order.  For  three  years  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Irving  Hose  Company.  This  brief  sketch  will  indicate  in  a  meas- 
ure the  great  activity  that  has  characterized  his  life,  making  him  a  leader  in 
business,  fraternal,  political  and  social  circles.  He  is  a  man  of  charming 
personality,  cordial,  genial  and  entirely  approachable,  and  is  very  popular 
-among  an  extended  circle  of  friends. 


JOHN  TATOR. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  of  Holland  descent.  His  grandfather  Tator 
was  born  in  Holland  and  when  a  young  man  came  to  this  country  and  set- 
tled in  Ghent,  Columbia  county,  New  York,  or  rather,  on  a  large  farm  near 
that  place,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  a  Democrat,  filled 
a  number  of  local  offices,  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  was  in  various  ways 
identified  with  the  best  interests  of  the  town  and  county  in  which  he  lived. 
He  was  twice  married  and  had  a  large  family,  his  children  numbering  twen- 
ty-one. His  son  Peter,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in 
Columbia  county.  New  York,  about  the  year  18 14,  and  there  received  a 
common-school  education  and  learned  the  trade  of  mason.  He  resided  at 
Troy,  New  York,  for  twenty  years,  for  twenty  years  lived  at  Ghent,  and  in  1880 
removed  to  Yonkers,  where  he  spent  the  residue  of  his  life  and  where  he  died 
in  1898,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Kittie  Dunspaugh,  and  who  was  of  German  ancestry,  died  in  1893,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-four  years.  Both  he  and  his  father  before  him  were  devoted  and 
consistent  members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  In  his  family  were  three  chil- 
dren, namely:  John,  whose  name  initiates  this  sketch;  Mary,  wife  of  Charles 
Fuller,  city  surveyor  of  Troy,  New  York,  for  twenty-five  years;  and  Adaline. 

John  Tator,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  review,  was  born  in  Hudson, 
Columbia  county.  New  York,  July  12,  1843.  In  his  youth  he  had  the  benefit 
of  the  common  schools  and  was  also  for  a  time  a  high-school  student.  He  left 
school  at  sixteen  and  began  making  his  own  way  in  the  world,  his  first  posi- 
tion being  that  of  water  boy  on  the  New  York  Central  Railroad.  Shortly 
afterward  he  became  a  common  laborer  on  the  road,  and  this  occupation  was 
followed  successively  by  that  of  fireman  for  six  months,  assistant  road- mas- 
ter for  ten  years  and  road-master  for  fifteen  years.      For  a  time  he  was  with 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  755 

the  Boston  &  Albany  Railroad  as  foreman.  He  was  also  road-master 
for  the  New  York  &  Harlem  Railroad.  His  last  railroad  work,  which  occu- 
pied his  time  up  to  September  i,  1898,  was  for  the  New  York  Central  Rail- 
road Company,  from  Forty-second  street  to  Poughkeepsie,  and  in  this  enter- 
prise he  had  in  his  employ  no  less  than  eight  hundred  men  engaged  in  con- 
struction work.  He  now  has  under  consideration  a  proposition  to  go  to 
Porto  Rico  in  the  employ  of  a  railroad  syndicate.  His  residence  is  at 
Yonkers,  Westchester  county,  where  he.  has  business  interests,  owning  here 
a  boarding  and  livery  stable,  at  44  to  46  School  street,  and  having  succeeded 
Mr.  C.  E.  O'Dell  in  this  business. 

Mr.  Tator  is  a  public-spirited  and  enterprising  man,  is  well  posted  in 
matters  of  public  interest,  and  gives  his  support  to  any  and  all  movements 
he  believes  intended  for  the  public  good.  Formerly  he  was  a  Democrat,  but 
now  affiliates  with  the  Republican  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd    Fellows. 

February  28,  1864,  Mr.  Tator  was  married  to  Miss  Lydia  Cipperly, 
daughter  of  John  and  Hannah  (Hayner)  Cipperly,  and  they  have  a  family  of 
seven  children,  namely:  Frederick,  who  married  Martha  Hemingway; 
Cora;  Grace,  the  wife  of  Roswell  Jacobus;  Hattie,  who  is  the  wife  of  Charles 
Brockmier;  Edna,  wife  of  Ferris  Montgomery;  and  Kittie  and  Arthur,  who 
still  remain  at  the  parental  home.  The  family  are  adherents  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  church. 

GEORGE  FRAZIER. 

This  well  known  citizen  of  Yonkers,  New  York,  is  noted  for  his  fine 
physique  and  his  athletic  powers.  The  family  from  which  he  comes  was 
distinguished  for  the  same  qualities,  and  his  sons  also  are  noted  athletes. 
The  history  of  his  life  is  of  interest  in  this  connection. 

George  Frazier  was  born  in  county  Monaghan,  Ireland,  August  i,  1833, 
son  of  Isaiah  and  Hannah  (Anderson)  Frazier.  The  paternal  grandfather  of 
Mr.  Frazier  was  a  native  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  and  was  a  man  of  great 
strength  and  size,  being  six  feet,  five  and  a  half  inches  in  height  and  weigh- 
ing two  hundred  and  eighty  pounds.  He  was  in  early  life  a  candlemaker  and 
later  a  farmer,  being  successful  in  both  occupations.  From  Edinburgh  he 
moved  over  to  Ireland  and  settled  at  the  birthplace  of  our  subject.  His 
wife's  maiden  name  was  Rebecca  McPherson,  and  she  was  beneath  the  aver- 
age in  size.  They  were  the  parents  of  twelve  daughters  and  three  sons, 
namely:  Richard,  Isaiah,  John,  Rebecca,  Hannah,  Rachel,  Mary  Ann, 
Elizabeth,  Sarah,  Jane,  Margaret,  Catherine,  Mary,  Ellen  and  Ann.  All 
grew  to  adult  age.  Grandfather  Frazier  died  in  1842  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two  years,  and  grandmother  Frazier  died  two  years  later  at  the  same  age. 


756  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Isaiah  Frazier,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Edinburgh,  Scot- 
land, and  learned  the  trade  of  chandler,  in  which  business  his  father  was 
there  engaged.  He  came  from  Ireland  to  America  in  1844,  with  his  wife 
and  six  children,  and  located  in  Parry  street,  New  York  city,  where  he 
became  engaged  in  the  lime-burning  business.  Subsequently  he  removed  with 
his  family  to  Norwich,  Connecticut,  to  take  charge  of  three  large  lime-kilns, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  resided  with  his  son,  George,  at  Yonkers, 
New  York.  He,  too,  was  a  man  of  large  proportions  and  great  strength. 
He  was  a  Republican,  an  Orangeman  and  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity. Religiously  he  was  a  Presbyterian,  a  zealous  and  active  member  of 
that  church.  In  his  family  were  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  viz. :  John, 
deceased,  was  a  contractor  in  New  York  city;  Jane,  widow  of  James  Cannon, 
deceased;  Margaret,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years;  George,  whose 
name  introduces  this  sketch;  Isaiah,  deceased;  and  Hannah,  widow  of  Will- 
iam Cunningham,  deceased.  The  mother  of  this  family  died  at  the  age  of 
forty-five  years  and  the  father  lived  to  be  ninety-one. 

George  Frazier,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  review,  was  a  small  boy 
at  the  time  he  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  this  country,  and  his  education 
was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  New  York  city  and  night  school  at  Nor- 
wich, Connecticut.  Following  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father  and  grandfather, 
he  learned  the  trade  of  soap  and  candle. making,  and  from  his  father  learned 
a  secret  and  valuable  process  of  clarifying  the  tallow.  For  some  time  he 
was  in  business  at  Norwich,  and  became  widely  known  for  his  superior  make 
of  candles.  He  subsequently  learned  the  stone-cutting  and  flagging  trade, 
in  New  York  city,  which  he  followed  as  a  journeyman  for  several  years  and 
then  engaged  in  taking  contracts  for  stone  work,  paving,  flagging,  etc.,  which 
he  has  followed  ever  since.  He  has  carried  on  a  general  contracting  busi- 
ness, including  the  erecting  of  buildings,  street,  bridge  and  dock  work  and 
yacht  building.  He  built  the  yacht  Montana  Jack  for  his  son,  which  won 
the  pennant  in  three  successive  races  in  one  season.  His  contracting  busi- 
ness affords  employment  for  no  less  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  and  he 
has  had  at  one  time  as  many  as  sixty-five  brown-stone  cutters.  His  con- 
tracts have  included  some  of  the  heaviest  street  work  in  the.  city  of  Yonkers, 
among  which  may  be  mentioned  the  greater  part  of  Main  street,  and  Nepper- 
han  avenue  from  Yonkers  to  the  old  village  Hmits.  He  built  the  fronts  to- 
the  Yonkers  Savings  Bank  and  the  Westminster  Presbyterian  church.  He 
also  built  the  Lawrence  dock,  which  he  owned  and  which  he  sold  to  William 
Frederick  Lawrence.  From  time  to  time  he  has  invested  in  real  estate  and 
has  extensive  realty  holdings. 

Politically,   Mr.    Frazier  is  a  Republican.      He   cast   his   first   vote   for 
President  Lincoln  and  has  ever  since  been  in  harmony  with  the  principles- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  757 

advocated  by  this  party.  Fraternally,  he  is  identified  with  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  maintaining  membership  in  Rising  Star  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Nep- 
perhan  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  and  Yonkers  Commandery,  K.  T. 

Mr.  Frazier  was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Yonkers  Curling  Club,  but 
resigned  in  1895  and  started  the  Van  Cortland  Club,  of  which  he  is  a  mem- 
ber at  present.  He  became  a  curler  thirty  years  ago,  and  won  the  title  of 
champion  curler  of  America,  having  won  in  four  successive  national  tourna- 
ments the  famous  Mitchell  diamond  medal,  with  a  team  composed  of  himself 
and  three  of  his  sons.  This  was  remarkable,  inasmuch  as  no  other  team  in 
America  had  won  in  two  successive  tournaments.  The  last  in  which  he  took 
part  was  at  Toronto,  Canada,  in  1894,  which  they  won  by  a  score  of  twenty- 
one  to  seventeen,  their  opponents  being  the  Champions  of  the  West.  Four 
pairs  of  handsome  curling  stones  were  sent  from  Scotland  to  the  winner  of 
this  tournament.  The  Mitchell  medal  is  a  diamond  worth  seven  hundred 
dollars.  His  three  sons  in  the  team  with  him  were  James,  John  and  Isaiah, 
who  weigh  respectively  two  hundred  and  ten,  one  hundred  and  eighty-eight 
and  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  pounds,  all  of  whom  are  athletes  and  have  won 
numerous  medals  in  various  athletic  fields.  Isaiah  holds  over  seventy-five 
medals,  which  he  has  won  upon  various  athletic  fields.  The  day  before  the 
tournament  at  Toronto,  Canada,  between  their  team  and  the  Champions  of 
the  West,  they  played  and  defeated  a  team  representing  the  Ontario  branch 
of  the  Curling  Club  of  Canada,  who  had  held  championship  for  eight  years  in 
succession.  Mr.  Frazier  himself  weighs  more  than  any  of  his  sons,  his  weight 
being  two  hundred  and  tweny-six  and  one-half  pounds,  and  he  is  tall  and  well 
proportioned.  With  his  hands  he  has  lifted  as  much  as  fourteen  hundred  and 
eighty-five  pounds.  He  has  won  many  honors  on  the  athletic  field  and  in  con- 
tests of  various  kinds.  He  has  a  medal  for  rifle  shooting.  A  team  composed  of 
himself;  Charles  R.  Gorton,  present  superintendent  of  schools  of  Yonkers;  Rob- 
ert G.  Jackson,  of  the  Yonkers  Brewing  Company ;  and  Professor  Elliott  Mason, 
had  the  honor  of  winning  the  championship  of  America  on  "Tug-of-war" 
against  the  Scottish-American  team,  champions  of  United  States  and  Canada. 
He  has  a  medal  as  tug-of-war's  man.  For  eleven  years  he  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Lady  Washington  Engine  Company,  No.  2,  of  the  Yonkers  fire  depart- 
ment. Although  now  advancing  in  years,  he  is  still  a  man  of  great  physical 
strength  and  endurance  and  with  his  old  vigor  participates  in  his  favorite 
sports. 

Mr.  Frazier  was  married  July  14,  1852,  to  Miss  Margaret  Stevenson 
Stewart,  daughter  of  James  Stewart,  a  tanner  and  currier  of  Paisley,  Scot- 
land. They  have  had  eight  children,  namely:  Isaiah,  James  (deceased), 
George,  Elizabeth  Jane,  John,  James  Stewart,  Robert  Davis  and  Mathew 
Stewart. 


758  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

The  eldest  son,  Isaiah,  is  associated  with  his  father  in  the  contracting 
business,  and,  as  already  stated  in  this  sketch,  is  an  athlete.  He  has  won 
medals  in  about  all  of  the  popular  athletic,  field  and  aquatic  sports.  Indeed, 
he  is  one  of  the  best  all-around  athletes  Westchester  county  ever  possessed. 
For  a  number  of  years,  also,  he  has  been  prominent  in  the  local  political 
and  municipal  affairs  of  his  town  and  county.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
board  of  supervisors  of  Westchester  county  for  two  terms,  from  1893  to 
1897;  served  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  printing,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  county-treasurer  committee;  and  was  in  the  militia,  a  member  of 
Company  H,  Sixteenth  Battalion.  After  the  organization  of  the  Fourth 
Separate  Company,  of  which  he  was  the  organizer,  he  became  its  captain. 
He  is  at  present  vice-president  of  the  Fourth  Separate  Company  Veteran 
Association.  While  a  member  of  that  company  he  won  several  walking 
medals.  It  was  called  out  during  the  ice  riots  at  Verplank's  Point,  where  he 
had  command  of  the  forces.  He  has  won  in  all  seventy-five  medals,  as 
before  intimated.  He  received  a  handsome  medal  from  the  Fourth  Separate 
Company  as  captain,  which  they  conferred  upon  him  in  appreciation  of  the 
valuable  services  he  rendered.  He  received  several  medals  for  rifle  shooting. 
He  won  in  the  Palisade  yacht  races  in  1879,  in  four-oar  contests;  also  in 
single,  double  and  eight  oar  shell  races.  He  took  the  American  champion- 
ship, in  1876,  at  the  New  York  Athletic  Club,  for  running  broad  jump.  He 
has  also  taken  the  medal  in  various  other  contests, — such  as  running  broad 
jump,  standing  broad,  standing  high,  running  high,  vaulting  with  pole,  put- 
ting shot,  throwing  hammer,  handle  races,  sack  races,  rowing,  shooting. 
Besides  these  he  was  a  member  of  the  team  in  all  the  important  curling 
matches  and  shared  the  numerous  medals  won  by  the  team.  At  one  tourna- 
ment of  Yonkers  Lyceum  athletic  sports,  he  won  nine  out  of  fourteen 
trophies  offered.  He  won  the  single-shell  boat  race  in  1894  for  Palisade 
Boat  Club  championship. 


ANDREW  JACKSON    JOSLYN. 

Andrew  J.  Joslyn,  a  veteran  of  the  civil  war  and  an  enterprising  business 
man  of  Yonkers,  is  a  native  of  Maine,  born  at  Robbinston,  July  8,  1845. 
His  parents,  William  Alfred  and  Rebecca  A.  (Douglas)  Joslyn,  were  of  Scotch 
and  English  descent,  respectively.  Several  generations  of  the  Joslyn  family 
resided  in  Canada,  in  which  country  William  A.  was  born.  He  learned  the 
trade  of  ship-builder,  and  successfully  carried  on  that  business  at  Eastport, 
Maine,  for  several  years.  In  1855  he  removed  to  New  York  city,  where  he 
died  some  six  years  later.  He  was  a  man  of  much  more  than  ordinary 
learning  and  ability,  had  received  the  advantages  of  a  college  education,  and 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  759 

was  a  great  Bible  student  and  historian.  In  his  political  faith  he  was  a 
stanch  Democrat,  of  the  Andrew  Jackson  school.  To  himself  and  wife  were 
born  six  children,  of  whom  only  two  survive,  our  subject  and  his  eldest 
brother,  George  Washington.  Those  who  are  deceased  were  named  as  fol- 
lows: Charles  Jefferson,  Thomas  Hood,  Rebecca  A.  and  Mary  A.  The 
mother  died  in  1855,  at  the  age  of  thirty-three  years,  and  thus  the  happy 
home  was  broken  up. 

A  lad  of  but  ten  years  at  the  time  of  his  mother's  death,  Andrew  Jackson 
Joslyn  was  reared  among  strangers,  his  advantages  being  limited.  The  great 
civil  war  coming  on,  he  was  eager  and  ready  to  fight  for  the  stars  and  stripes 
as  soon  as  he  might  be  admitted  to  the  service,  and  August  25,  1862,  at  the 
age  of  seventeen,  he  enlisted  in  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-ninth 
Regiment  of  New  York  Volunteers.  Assigned  to  the  Eighteenth  Army 
Corps,  he  was  stationed  at  Fortress  Monroe  for  a  short  time,  after  which  his 
regiment  was  placed  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  With  that  illustrious 
legion  he  took  part  in  the  engagements  with  the  enemy  at  Williamsburg, 
Congo,  Dismal  Swamp,  Bermuda  Hundred,  Fort  Darling,  Cold  Harbor, 
Chickahominy,  and  many  others.  The  famous  Eighteenth  Corps,  to  which 
he  belonged,  charged  on  the  heights  of  Petersburg  and  captured  the  position, 
but  had  not  Grant's  reinforcements  arrived  at  the  time  they  did,  the  whole 
army  would  have  been  routed  and  sorely  defeated.  At  Harrison  Landing 
his  regiment  made  the  notable  charge  on  General  Lee  and  his  forces,  who 
were  making  a  desperate  attempt  to  recapture  the  position.  At  the  battle  of 
Drury's  Bluff,  the  Eighteenth  Corps  was  captured.  In  the  encounter  with 
the  Confederates  at  Cold  Harbor,  Mr.  Joslyn  was  wounded  by  a  minie  ball, 
and  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  but  was  soon  recovered  by  his  com- 
rades, and  was  back  in  the  ranks  at  the  end  of  a  week's  treatment  in  the 
hospital.  He  had  enlisted  for  three  years,  and  he  served  for  two  years  and 
ten  months,  or  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Enlisting  as  a  private,  he  was 
mustered  out  of  the  service  as  brevet  first  lieutenant,  though  then  but  twenty 
years  of  age. 

The  youthful  hero  of  many  a  "battle-field  now  entered  upon  another  kind 
of  warfare,  the  battle  for  a  livelihood,  and,  as  an  initial  step,  served  an 
apprenticeship  to  the  trade  of  wagon-manufacturing,  at  Dobbs  Ferry.  In 
1872,  thoroughly  master  of  the  business  which  he  was  henceforth  to  pursue, 
he  came  to  Yonkers,  but  within  a  short  time  he  removed  to  Richmond,  Vir- 
ginia. In  that  city  he  was  employed  in  a  factory  situated  in  the  same  block 
as  Libby  Prison.  At  the  end  of  four  years  he  returned  to  Yonkers,  where  he 
established  himself  in  business  on  Nepperhan  avenue,  and  remained  in  that 
location  until  1896.  At  that  time  he  came  to  his  present  quarters,  257-259 
South  Broadway,  a  large  and  well  equipped  factory,  where  every  facility  for 


760  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

turning  out  first-class  work  is  at  hand.  Mr.  Joslyn's  business  is  steadily 
increasing  in  volume  and  importance. 

Since  the  close  of  the  war,  our  subject  has  been  in  thorough  sympathy 
with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  is  now  the  senior  vice-commander 
of  Retching  Post,  No.  60,  of  Yonkers.  He  has  given  his  loyal  assistance  to 
the  Republican  party,  and  in  the  past  has  done  some  effective  campaign 
work,  such  as  making  speeches  on  the  principles  and  issues  before  the  people. 

In  June,  1874,  Mr.  Joslyn  married  Miss  Anna  Brannock.  They  have 
had  seven  children,  William,  Virginia,  George,  Andrew  J. ,  Jr. ,  Annie,  Rebecca 
and  Alice.  The  youngest  daughter,  Alice,  has  entered  the  silent  land.  The 
family  have  a  pleasant  home,  at  No.  332  Nepperhan  avenue,  where  their 
many  friends  are  always  given  a  hospitable  welcome. 


THE  HAYS  AND  ALLIED  FAMILIES. 

The  important  service  rendered  by  the  Jews  in  the  war  of  the  American 
Revolution,  while  as  a  matter  of  record  it  is  not  familiar  to  the  general  reader, 
it  is  noteworthy  that  though  few  in  numbers  they  did  more  in  proportion 
to  the  population  toward  establishing  the  independence  of  the  Ameri- 
can colonies  than  those  of  any  other  nationality.  They  gave  liberally  of 
their  means  and  made  great  personal  sacrifices  for  the  cause;  and  but  for  the 
great  liberality  and  timely  assistance  of  one  man,  Hyams  Salomon,  it  would 
have  been  almost  impossible  to  have  maintained  an  army  in  the  field  and 
carried  on  the  financial  affairs  of  the  government.  The  ancestors  of  Daniel 
P.  Hays  were  among  the  .most  ardent  and  self-sacrificing  of  the  patriots,  as 
shown  by  the  public  records. 

The  early  ancestors  of  the  Hays  family  came  to  New  Netherlands  from 
Holland  in  the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  century.  According  to  a  tradi- 
tion preserved  by  the  late  William  Henry  Hays,  of  New  York,  who  derived 
from  his  father,  Jacob  Hays,  the  rank  of  high  constable,  they  came  in  their 
own  ship,  with  their  own  servants,  cattle,  seeds  and  tools  of  agriculture. 
Their  first  settlement  was  near  New  Rochelle  in  Westchester  county.  New 
York,  where  Michael  and  David  Hays,  his  brothers,  were  born.  David  Hays, 
the  paternal  ancestor  of  Daniel  P.,  was  born  near  New  Rochelle,  in  March, 
1732,  and  died  at  Mount  Pleasant,  October  17,  1812.  An  unverified  tradi- 
tion gives  to  him  a  sword,  now  belonging  to  Miss  Elvira  Nathan  Solis,  on 
which  is  inscribed  the  following  Spanish  legend:  "  Draw  me  not  without 
reason:  sheath  me  not  without  honor." 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution  Michael  Hays,  then  a  farmer  at  North- 
castle  (also  trader  and  merchant),  and  his  youngest  brother,  David,  who  had 
served  in  the  New  York  contingent  at  Braddock's  defeat  on  the  9th  of  July, 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  761 

1755,  had  returned  to  peaceful  occupations  as  a  farmer  and  store-keeper  at 
Bedford.  Michael  was  a  man  advanced  in  years.  From  a  fragment  of  a 
memorandum  in  his  handwriting  it  appears  that  in  1776  or  earlier  he  was 
driven  from  his  farm,  which  remained  for  six  years  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
With  the  farm  the  enemy  likewise  took  possession  of  seventy-four  head  of 
cattle  and  other  stores,  the  list  of  which  was  upon  the  missing  fragments  of 
the  record.  Bolton,  in  his  history  of  Westchester  county,  states  that  on 
July  2,  1779,  Lieutenant- Colonel  Tarleton,  with  a  party  of  British  light 
horse,  rode  into  Bedford  and  fired  it.  It  is  possible  that  the  stores  referred 
to  had  been  gathered  for  the  colonial  army,  and  that  their  presence  at  Hays' 
farm  was  the  cause  of  the  enemy's  descent  thereon;  for  the  tradition  concern- 
ing the  burning  of  David  Hays'  house  at  Bedford  in  1779  connects  the  absence 
of  one  of  its  protectors,  the  eldest  son,  Jacob  (afterward  high  constable  of 
the  city  of  New  York),  with  a  successful  attempt  to  drive  cattle  through  the 
enemy's  lines  to  the  army  of  the  United  States.  Among  the  papers  of  Dan- 
iel P.  Hays  is  a  mutilated  memorandum,  in  the  hand-writing  of  David  Hays, 
of  which  nearly  all  the  superscription  is  illegible  except  the  words,  "when 
the  enemy  came  to  Bedford  and  burned  my  house  on  the  eleventh  of  July, 
1779."  By  this  statement  there  appears  a  difference  of  nine  days  from  the 
time  mentioned  in  Bolton's  History  of  Westchester  County. 

David  Hays  and  most  of  the  other  heads  of  families  were  absent  with  the 
patriotic  army.  Jacob  Hays  was  one  of  a  party  of  young  men  and  boys  that 
had  undertaken  to  get  through  the  enemy's  lines  and  into  the  American  camp 
the  cattle  that  had  been  collected  for  this  purpose  at  Bedford.  The  British 
raid  may  well  have  been  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  this,  and  the  delay  of 
nine  days  in  firing  the  village  may  have  been  granted  in  hope  of  discovering 
the  location  of  the  herd  and  effecting  its  capture.  At  the  time  of  the  British 
raid  the  wife  of  David  Hays  was  lying  upon  a  sick-bed  with  a  new-born 
infant  at  her  breast.  Her  husband  and  eldest  son  were  with  the  army,  and 
she  with  her  daughters  and  her  baby  boy  (Benjamin)  were  attended  by  an 
old  negro  slave  named  Darby,  and  his  wife,  whom  she  had  brought  with  her 
from  Baltimore  prior  to  her  marriage.  It  was  not  the  open  enemy  but  Tory 
neighbors  who  entered  the  house  on  that  day  in  July  and  demanded  of  the 
sick  woman  information  she  was  supposed  to  possess  concerning  the  plans  of 
the  patriots.  On  her  refusal  to  give  the  information  the  house  was  fired, 
with  a  brand  from  its  own  hearthstone.  The  mother  and  children  were  con- 
veyed by  faithful  negroes  to  a  shelter  in  the  woods  and  there  cared  for  until 
succor  came  to  them  and  to  others  who  suffered  from  Tory  malice. 

Esther  Etting,  daughter  of  Asher  Etting,  the  cousin  and  wife  of  David 
Hays,  came  of  a  patriotic  family.  At  the  beginning  of  the  war  her  brother, 
Reuben,  then   a  clerk  in  a  bank  at   Baltimore,   gave   up  his  position  and 


762  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

hastened  northward  to  join  the  patriots.  He  was  taken  prisoner  at  Charles- 
town,  and  when  the  British  learned  that  he  was  not  only  a  rebel,  but  also  a 
Jew,  they  gave  him  for  food  only  pork  (forbidden  by  the  Jewish  law  as 
unclean),  which  he  refused  to  eat,  subsisting,  until  exchanged,  on  such  mor- 
sels of  unforbidden  food  as  he  could  obtain  from  his  fellow  prisoners. 
Weakened  by  confinement  and  privation,  he  died,  of  consumption,  soon 
after  his  release.  Another  brother,  Benjamin  Etting,  was  among  the  patri- 
otic merchants  of  New  York  who  were  forced  to  flee  before  the  British 
troops.  He  took  refuge  in  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  where  he  died  May  24, 
1778,  leaving  Mrs.  Hays  the  only  surviving  member  of  the  family.  Moses, 
another  brother,  had   died   some   time   previously  at  Easton,  Pennsylvania. 

Michael  Hays,  the  brother  of  David,  purchased  a  farm  and  manor  in 
1785  at  Mount  Pleasant,  where  he  died  in  1799.  In  his  will,  probated  May 
22,  of  that  year,  he  leaves  all  his  property,  real  and  personal,  to  his  "beloved 
brother  David." 

David  Hays,  after  the  close  of  the  war,  returned  to  Bedford,  where  he 
remained  for  some  years,  but  in  1796  his  brother,  Michael,  conveyed,  for  a 
nominal  consideration,  a  portion  of  his  property  at  Mount  Pleasant,  whither 
he  removed  soon  afterward,  and  in  1800  erected  the  homestead  at  that  place, 
which  is  still  standing.  In  his  will,  1812,  he  names  sons  Jacob,  Moses  and 
Benjamin  Etting,  and  daughters  Hannah  (deceased)  and  Rachel,  who  were 
in  turn  wives  of  Benjamin  Meyers;  Hiltey,  wife  of  Mr.  Isaacs,  deceased; 
Charity,  wife  of  Jacob  da  Silva  Solis;  and  Abigail,  whose  portion  was  made 
contingent  upon  her  "  marrying  in  our  society."  Notwithstanding  this  pro- 
hibition Abigail  married,  after  her  father's  death,  a  Mr.  Conkiing,  brother  of 
Garner  Conkiing,  of  New  York. 

Benjamin  Etting  Hays,  son  of  David  and  Esther  (Etting)  Hays,  was 
born  at  Bedford  in  Westchester  county.  New  York,  in  1776.  He  was  the 
babe  at  his  mother's  breast  when  she  was  ruthlessly  driven  from  her  home 
and  compelled  to  seek  shelter  with  a  neighbor.  He  grew  up  amid  the  scenes 
of  the  Revolution  and  was  an  eye  witness  of  much  of  the  sufferings,  hard- 
ships and  privations  endured  by  his  neighbors,  all  of  which  made  a  deep 
impression  on  his  youthful  mind,  and  the  story  was  repeated  ' '  o'er  and  o'er  " 
to  his  children  and  grandchildren.  He  loved  the  country  which  gave  him 
birth  and  was  proud  of  that  part  borne  by  his  worthy  parents  in  the  struggle 
for  independence.  He  was  a  man  greatly  respected  by  his  neighbors  and  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  August  13,  1858,  he  was  supposed  to  be  the  "last 
Jewish  farmer  in  the  United  States."  During  his  life  he  was  known  as 
"  Uncle  Ben,  the  Jew,  the  best  Christian  in  Westchester  county."  He  was 
endowed  with  all  the  noble  virtues  inherited  from  his  honored  parents,  and 
never  missed  an  opportunity  of  doing  good  to  those  around  him,  especially  to 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  768 

the  poor  and  unfortupate  who  were  left  penniless  as  the  result  of  the  war. 
He  inherited  his  father's  farm  at  Mount  Pleasant,  now  Pleasantville,  and 
continued  to  cultivate  it  until  his  death.  He  married  and  had  children, — 
David,  Michael,  Benjamin,  Jacob,  Esther  and  Hannah. 

David  Hays,  the  eldest  son  of  Benjamin  Etting  Hays,  was  born  on  the 
homestead  at  Mount  Pleasant.  His  early  life  was  spent  on  the  farm,  but  the 
city  had  greater  attractions  for  him  and  he  engaged  in  the  study  of  pharmacy, 
with  his  brother-in-law,  M.  L.  M.  Peixotto,  at  the  corner  of  Division  and 
Clinton  streets,  then  one  of  the  best  residence  neighborhoods  in  the  city. 
The  store  was  an  old  landmark,  having  been  established  in  1832,  and  was 
known  as  the  Rutgers  Pharmacy,  from  its  proximity  to  the  estate  of  Colonel 
Rutger.  Mr.  Hays  possessed  a  very  earnest  nature  and  entered  upon  his 
new  life  with  great  enthusiasm,  and  very  soon  the  old  sign  over  the  door  was 
taken  down  to  be  replaced  by  one  bearing  the  firm  name  of  Peixotto  &  Hays. 
By  his  sterling  character  he  soon  won  the  confidence  of  the  community  and 
success  followed  his  efforts,  and  a  second  store  was  purchased  on  Grand 
street,  not  far  from  the  Bowery. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war  Mr.  Peixotto  organized  a  regiment 
and  became  captain  of  one  of  the  companies,  and  Mr.  Hays  succeeded  him 
in  business.  The  store  in  Grand  street  was  sold,  and  the  sign  of  "David 
Hays,  apothecary,"  was  hung  over  the  old  "Rutgers  Pharmacy,"  where  it 
remained  for  many  years.  During  the  draft  riots  the  store  was  attacked  by 
the  mob,  but  the  neighbors  rallied  to  Mr.  Hays'  assistance  and  the  members 
of  the  old  volunteer  fire  department  No.  6  took  turns  in  watching  the  store 
until  the  excitement  abated. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Hays  established  a  drug  store  in  Central  City,  Colo- 
rado, which  he  conducted  successfully  for  a  number  of  years.  He  early 
became  interested  in  educational  work  and  was  elected  a  member  of  the  New 
York  College  of  Pharmacy,  in  whose  advancement  he  was  deeply  concerned 
and  whose  growth  during  the  early  and  trying  years  of  its  career  he  closely 
watched  and  earnestly  worked  for.  The  confidence  of  his  confreres  in  his 
integrity  was  best  shown  when  he  was  elected  treasurer  at  a  special  meeting 
in  the  place  of  an  officer  who  had  misappropriated  the  funds  of  the  college. 
He  served  on  most  of  the  important  committees  of  the  college  and  was  a  fre- 
quent delegate  to  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,  in  whose  delib- 
erations he  took  much  interest. 

As  a  trustee  of  the  public  schools  he  contributed  to  the  advancement  of 
education,  and  was  honored  by  being  elected  chairman  of  the  school  board, 
a  position  which  he  held  until  he  changed  his  residence  to  another  school 
district.  In  1890  he  retired  from  active  business  life,  and  from  that  time 
passed  'most   of  his  time   at  the   old   homestead,   to   which   he  was   fondly 


764  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

attached.  He  took  great  pleasure  in  wandering  about  the  fields  and  roaming 
through  the  woods,  living  over  again  the  scenes  of  his  boyhood.  He  had  a 
deep  love  of  the  beautiful  in  nature  and  a  true  poetic  insight.  His  love  of 
wild  flowers  and  the  birds,  as  well  as  the  nobler  ideals  of  life,  found  its 
expression  in  many  poems  which  graced  the  corners  of  the  country  newspa- 
pers and  won  for  him  the  name  of  the  "Farmer  Poet."  He  was  greatly 
beloved  by  all  who  knew  him  for  his  kindly  nature,  his  sturdy  character  and 
his  simple,  honest  life.  His  end  came  peacefully  and  rounded  out  a  beautiful 
hfe.  By  a  coincidence,  his  death  occurred  upon  the  anniversary  of  his  birth- 
day, and  he  was  laid  beside  his  wife  in  Cypress  Hills  cemetery,  on  the  anni- 
versary of  his  wedding  day. 

He  married  Miss  Judith  Peixotto,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Daniel  S.  M.  Peix- 
otto  (son  of  the  eminent  rabbi),  who  in  1823  took  rank  among  the  leading 
physicians  of  New  York.  As  a  writer  Dr.  Peixotto  acquired  fame  by 
articles  of  acknowledged  merit  and  of  considerable  importance  to  the 
profession.  In  1825-6^  conjointly  with  Drs.  Beck  and  Bell,  he  edited 
the  New  York  Medical  and  Physical  Journal  and  also  Gregory's  Prac- 
tice. All  subjects  pertaining  to  medicine  enchained  his  thoughts  and  quick- 
ened his  pen.  He  served  as  one  of  the  physicians  of  the  old  city  dispensary 
in  1827,  and  as  president  of  the  New  York  Medical  Society  in  1830-2.  He 
was  also  one  of  the  projectors  and  organizers  of  the  Society  for  assisting  the 
Widows  and  Orphans  of  Medical  Men,  and  urged  the  establishment  of  a 
medical  library.  In  1836  he  received  the  appointment  of  professor  of  theory 
and  practice  of  medicine  and  obstetrics,  and  was  elected  an  honorary  member 
of  the  Medical  Society  of  Lower  Canada.  In  the  same  year  he  was  called  to 
the  presidency  of  the  Willoughby  Medical  College  and  removed  with  his  fam- 
ily to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  occupying  the  position  of  dean  of  the  faculty  for  sev- 
eral years,  when  he  returned  to  New  York  and  resumed  his  practice.  Dr. 
Peixotto  was  gifted  with  high  literary  endowments  and  was  a  frequent 
contributor  to  magazine  literature  and  the  newspaper  press.  An  intimate 
friend  of  General  Jackson,  he  advocated  his  election  to  the  presidency  of  the 
United  States,  editing  the  True  American  in  his  behalf.  For  a  time  he  was 
also  connected  with  the  New  York  Mirror,  when  that  journal  was  under  the 
<;ontrol  of  N.  P.  Willis  and  George  P.  Morris.  Dr.  Peixotto  was  an  eminent 
linguist,  speaking  no  less  than  seven  languages  with  equal  fluency.  He  died 
in  New  York  city.  May  13,  1843. 

David  Hays,  by  his  wife  Judith  (Peixotto)  Hays,  had  eight  children,  of 
whom  Daniel  P.  was  one.  Daniel  Peixotto  Hays  was  born  at  the  homestead 
of  his  ancestors  at  Pleasantville,  Westchester  county,  New  York,  March  28, 
1854.  His  early  environment  tended  to  the  further  development  of  those 
■characteristics  inherited  from  his  ancestors  which  have  continued  to  shine 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  765- 

with  greater  brilliancy  in  his  own  life.  He  obtained  his  preparatory  educa- 
tion at  the  public  schools  and  was  graduated  at  the  College  of  the  City  of 
New  York  in  1873  and  at  the  Columbia  College  Law  School  in  1875.  He 
entered  upon  a  practical  course  of  study  in  the  office  of  Carpenter  &  Beach, 
where  he  soon  rose  to  the  position  of  managing  clerk,  and  in  1877  joined  the 
firm  as  partner,  under  the  firm  name  of  Beach  &  Hays.  On  the  death  of 
Judge  Beach  he  became  associated  with  James  S.  Carpenter,  the  copartner- 
ship continuing  until  the  death  of  the  latter  in  1885.  Mr.  Hays  organized 
the  present  firm  of  Hays  &  Greenbaum  the  same  year,  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful firms  in  their  line  of  practice  in  the  city,  their  clients  including  some 
of  the  most  prominent  business  men  in  New  York.  Mr.  Hays  conducted  the 
case  of  General  Adam  Badeau  against  the  executors  of  General  Grant's  estate 
for  services  in  preparing  the  Grant  Memoirs;  he  was  also  counsel  for  General 
Daniel  E.  Sickles  during  the  latter's  term  as  sheriff  of  New  York  county. 
During  the  past  few  years  Mr.  Hays  has  tried  successfully  many  important 
cases,  involving  millions  of  dollars,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  ablest 
men  in  his  profession.  He  has  filled  important  public  positions.  In  1893- 
he  was  appointed  on  the  civil-service  commission,  and  on  the  death  of  his 
predecessor  was  made  chairman  of  the  board. 

Mr.  Hays  was  one  of  the  early  supporters  of  the  Young  Men's  Hebrew 
Association,  served  for  many  years  as  its  director,  was  vice-president  in  1878, 
and  elected  president  for  the  two  following  years.  He  was  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  the  American  Hebrew  and  one  of  the  original  board  of  editors,  and  has 
been  for  many  years  president  of  the  congregation  Temple  Israel.  He  re- 
moved to  Nyack  on  the  Hudson  in  1880,  where  he  and  his  wife  occupied  a 
high  social  position  for  some  years,  and  were  specially  popular  in  the  Nyack- 
Rowing  Association,  which  at  that  time  included  the  best  social  elements  of 
the  county.  He  has  purchased  the  old  homestead  of  his  ancestors  at 
Pleasantville,  in  Westchester  county,  embracing  several  acres,  retaining  in 
its  original  simplicity  the  old  house  built  by  his  grandfather,  around  which' 
cluster  so  many  hallowed  associations.  Instead  of  enlarging  or  altering  this, 
he  erected  a  large  and  elegant  mansion,  one  of  the  most  attractive  in  that 
part  of  the  county,  which  he  named  Hillcrest,  as  it  is  located  on  the  crest  of 
the  hill  and  affording  a  beautiful  and  extended  view  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
try. Here  during  the  summer  season  he  entertains  his  numerous  friends, 
who  are  always  given  a  hearty  welcome.  Mr.  Hays  became  interested  in  the 
public  affairs  of  the  town  and  contributed  liberally  toward  the  various  im- 
provements. He  was  the  unanimous  choice  of  his  fellow  citizens,  regardless- 
of  party  affiliations,  for  the  presidency  of  the  village.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Democratic,  Lawyers',  Reform,  Sagamore  and  other  clubs,  and  also  of  the 
New  York  Bar. 


766  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

April  1 8,  1880,  Mr.  Hays  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Rachel, 
daughter  of  Aaron  Hirschfield,  of  New  York  city,  a  highly  accomplished  and 
attractive  woman,  interested  equally  with  her  husband  in  the  benevolent  and 
charitable  enterprises. 

EDWARD  F.   SHEEHAN,   M.   D. 

A  prominent  representative  of  the  medical  profession.  Dr.  Sheehan  has 
successfully  engaged  in  practice  in  Sing  Sing,  New  York,  since  1890,  his  office 
being  at  No.  18  Maple  Place.  He  is  a  native  of  New  York,  born  at  North 
Creek,  Warren  county,  July  12,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  P.  and  Margarette 
(Fitzgerald)  Sheehan,  natives  of  Ireland  who  came  to  this  country  while 
young  and  were  married  at  Sandy  Hall,  Washington  county,  New  York.  By 
trade  the  father  is  a  tanner  of  sole-leather,  being  an  expert  in  that  business. 
He  had  charge  of  the  North  Creek  tannery  for  some  years,  and  was  later 
superintendent  of  the  Stony  Creek  tannery,  for  John  P.  Bowman.  On  resign- 
ing that  position  he  purchased  a  third  interest  in  the  lumber  and  tanning 
industry  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  Sawyer,  Mead  &  Company,  but 
is  now  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising  in  Saratoga  county,  New  York. 
He  is  one  of  a  family  of  five  children,  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  namely: 
Patrick,  known  as  "  P."  to  his  friends;  Daniel  and  Edward,  both  farmers; 
Catherine,  wife  of  John  McSweeney;  and  Colonel  T.  J.,  who  is  well  known 
all  over  this  country  as  the  man  who  closed  the  gates.  He  has  been  Indian 
agent  at  the  White  Earth  agency,  was  sheriff  for  twelve  consecutive  terms  in 
Freeborn  county,  Minnesota,  and  has  always  been  an  active  Republican.  He 
is  still  a  resident  of  Minnesota.  Our  subject's  father  is  a  Democrat,  and  does 
all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  party's  welfare  in  this  state.  Twelve  children 
have  been  born  to  him  and  seven  are  still  living:  Annie;  Maggie;  Katie,  wife 
of  Richard  Barnett,  of  Victor  Mills,  Saratoga  county,  New  York;  Mary,  wife 
of  Dr.  C.  D.  Kelly,  of  Mount  Vernon,  New  York;  Edward  F.,  of  this  sketch; 
Ella  F. ;  Timothy,  known  as  Teed,  who  was  a  druggist  of  Sing  Sing,  died  in 
1896;  and  Dr.  W.  J.,  who  is  associated  in  practice  with  our  subject,  at  Sing 
Sing. 

Dr.  Edward  F.  Sheehan  received  his  literary  education  in  the  Union 
high  school  at  Schuylerville,  Saratoga  county,  and  later  read  medicine  with 
Dr.  Frank  F.  Gow,  of  that  place;  Dr.  WiUiam  Donnelly,  of  Ketchum  Cor- 
ners, New  York,  and  Dr.  Albert  Vanderveer,  of  Albany,  New  York.  In  the 
fall  of  1885  he  entered  the  Albany  Medical  College,  made  a  special  study  of 
surgery,  and  graduated  from  that  institution  March  15,  1885.  He  first 
located  at  Greenwich,  Washington  county.  New  York,  but,  at  the  end  of  two 
years,  came  to  Sing  Sing,  where  he  soon  succeeded  in  building  up  the  large 
and  lucrative  practice,  which  he  to-day  enjoys.      He  is  also  largely  interested 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  767 

in  the  Home  Telephone  Company  of  Sing  Sing,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
organizers,  and  is  a  fourth  owner.  He  is  a  leading  member  of  the  West- 
chester County  Medical  Society,  and  in  1891  was  elected  health  officer, 
serving  as  such  most  acceptably  for  three  years.  He  is  also  consulting  phy- 
sician at  the  Sing  Sing  prison,  has  assisted  in  most  of  the  electrocutions,  and 
was  the  one  who  held  the  autopsy  of  Carlysle  Harris,  the  noted  criminal.  He 
is  state  examiner  in  lunacy,  and  attending  physician  at  the  new  Croton  dam, 
the  largest  dam  in  the  world,  now  under  construction.  The  Doctor  is  also 
examining  physician  for  several  of  the  best  Hfe  insurance  companies  of  the 
country,  and  is  a  progressive  member  of  his  profession,  who  keeps  abreast  of 
the  latest  discoveries  and  theories  by  his  perusal  of  medical  journals.  His  skill 
and  ability  are  attested  by  the  liberal  patronage  he  enjoys,  and  he  ranks  as  one 
of  the  leading  physicians  of  the  county.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  and  the  Sing  Sing  Yacht  Club,  and  is  commodore  of 
the  Ossining  Yacht  Club,  while  politically  he  is  identified  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  a  member  of  the  Democratic  Club  of  New  York  city,  and 
has  been  an  active  and  influential  member  of  the  town  Democratic  commit- 
tee, of  which  he  is  the  chairman. 

On  the  31st  of  March,  1890,  Dr.  Sheehan  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Elizabeth  Terhune,  a  daughter  of  Frederick  H.  and  Frances  D. 
(Dodd)  Terhune,  and  one  child  has  graced  this  union,  E.  Gerald,  born  May 
17.   1891-  

ISAAC    YOUNG. 

Mr.  Young  is  the  owner  of  the  beautiful  homestead  known  as  Summit 
Place,  situated  on  the  highest  point  of  land  between  New  York  city  and  Cro- 
ton dam,  in  Westchester  county,  three  miles  to  the  northeast  of  Sing  Sing. 
Here  he  has  had  his  dwelling-place  for  nearly  thirty  years,  during  which  time 
he  has  constantly  made  improvements  and  added  to  the  beauty  and  value  of 
his  country  home.  From  his  residence  site  most  picturesque  and  charming 
views  of  the  Hudson  river  and  surrounding  country  may  be  obtained,  and 
glimpses  into  the  neighboring  state  of  Connecticut  may  be  had. 

The  gentleman  of  whom  we  write  is  one  of  the  native  sons  of  the  Empire 
state,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Milltown,  in  the  township  of  Southeast, 
Putnam  county,  April  26,  1821.  He  is  a  son  of  James  and  Hannah  (Law- 
rence) Young,  who  likewise  were  natives  of  Putnam  county.  Their  children 
were  two  in  number,  the  other  being  a  daughter,  Esther  A.,  now  the  widow 
of  John  G.  Lane,  of  Harrison  township,  Westchester  county.  James  Young 
died  in  1846,  at  the  age  of  fifty-one  years.  He  was  a  successful  farmer,  own- 
ing a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which  he  kept  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation. 


768  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Isaac  Young  was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  early  mastering  the 
essentials  to  the  proper  management  of  a  farm.  He  attended  the  common 
schools  and  assisted  his  father  in  the  work  of  the  farm  up  to  the  latter's  death. 
He  then  assumed  the  entire  charge  of  the  homestead  and  continued  to  reside 
thereon  until  he  was  thirty-five  years  old.  He  still  owns  the  old  place,  but 
since  1856  he  has  made  his  home  in  Westchester  county.  For  some  thirteen 
years  he  carried  on  the  old  Vail  farm,  near  his  present  home,  but  in  1869  he 
purchased  the  farm  known  as  Summit  Place, — a  tract  of  thirty-eight  acres. 

Though  he  has  never  sought  nor  desired  public  office,  Mr.  Young  has 
sometimes  been  prevailed  upon  to  accept  a  minor  position,  and  has  served  as 
justice  of  the  peace.  He  is  a  stalwart  Republican-,  but  has  never  been  a  poli- 
tician in  the  ordinary  acceptation  of  the  term.  Religiously  he  is  a  Presbyte- 
rian, being  a  member  and  for  some  time  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Sing  Sing 
church  of  that  denomination. 

In  1857  Mr.  Young  married  Miss  M.  E.  L.  Vail,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Jane  M.  (Lane)  Vail.  She  was  born  in  this  county,  on  the  old  Vail  home- 
stead, previously  mentioned  in  this  sketch,  and  there  grew  to  womanhood. 
The  only  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young  is  John  J.,  who  is  an  enterprising  busi- 
ness man  and  farmer  and  is  still  living  with  his  parents  on  the  homestead. 
The  family  are  highly  respected  in  this  community,  and  on  every  hand  only 
praise  and  commendation  of  them  are  to  be  heard  among  their  old  neighbors 
and  acquaintances. 

DR.  JOHN  KRESS. 

Our  history  proves  the  value,  to  the  United  States,  of  its  sturdy,  honest, 
progressive  and  industrious  German-American  element,  which  has  long  been 
very  strong  in  this  county  and  always  favorable  to  the  best  interests  of  the- 
general  public.     Our  German  citizens  are  workers,  voters  and  fighters.      An 
illustration  of  the  foregoing  statement  in  New  Rochelle  is  Dr.  John  Kress,  a 
son  of  John  and  Mary  (Kern)  Kress,  who  was  born  in  Munich,  Germany, 
September  5,  1855.     John  Kress,  Sr.,  and  his  good  wife  lived  out  their  days- 
in  Germany.     The  former,  also  a   native   of  Munich,  served  in  the  German 
army  six  years,  was  afterward  a  prosperous  blacksmith,  and  in  time  became 
chief  of  the  fire  department  of  Waldorf.     This  worthy  couple  had  two  sons- 
and  four  daughters,  most  of  whom  came  to  America.    Mary  is  Mrs.  Kearney, 
wife  of  a  well   known   Chicagoan.      Katie  married  Joseph  Zehn,    an   Iowa 
ranchman  who  owns  seven  hundred  acres  of  valuable  land  and  thousands  of 
fine  cattle.     Anna  is  an  inmate  of  a  convent  in  Germany.     Joseph  followed 
in  his  father's  footsteps   as  a  blacksmith  and  was  also  a  wheelwright.     He 
succeeded  his  father   as  chief  of   the  police   of   Waldorf,  was   mayor  of  the 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  769 

town  and  held  other  local  offices  of  importance.     John  Kress,  Sr.,  died  at 
the  age  of  forty-five  years,  and  his  wife  at  the  age  of  fifty-two. 

Dr.  John  Kress  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Munich  and  then 
served  his  country  three  years  as  a  soldier.  He  was  an  under  officer  in  a 
cavalry  regiment  and  his  services  were  so  meritorious  that  he  was  honored 
in  consequence.  He  had,  through  his  cavalry  service,  become  interested  in 
horses,  and  possessed  a  natural  aptitude  for  treating  them  when  injured  or 
diseased.  On  leaving  the  army  he  entered  the  King's  Veterinary  College  at 
Munich,  where  he  was  a  diligent  student  during  the  years  1874-76.  After- 
ward he  was  for  a  year  the  veterinarian  to  a  German  cavalry  regiment  by 
special  appointment,  and  in  1877  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  located 
at  New  York  city,  with  headquarters  on  Fifty-sixth  street,  and  subse- 
quently on  Fifty-fifth,  where  he  practiced  veterinary  medicine  and  surgery 
and  gave  expert  attention  to  horse-shoeing  and  allied  blacksmithing. 

Meanwhile  he  pursued  his  professional  studies  at  the  New  York  Veter- 
inary College,  where  he  at  length  graduated,  in  1898.  About  that  time  he 
removed  to  New  Rochelle,  after  having  had  a  successful  business  career  in 
the  city,  which  had  brought  him  an  extensive  amount  of  real  estate,  especially 
in  flat  property  on  One  Hundred  and  First  street  and  East  Fifty-fifth  street. 
He  still  retains  his  mechanical  and  professional  business  in  New  York,  where 
his  establishment  affords  employment  to  five  skilled  men;  but  he  is  prac- 
tically retired,  living  a  quiet  life  after  years  of  study  and  labor  in  his  chosen 
field. 

Politically  Dr.  Kress  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  has  always  taken  an  active 
part  in  practical  politics,  both  in  New  York  and  at  New  Rochelle.  In  1899 
he  was  elected  alderman  at  large  to  represent  the  third  ward.  His  popu- 
larity as  a  citizen  is  attested  by  the  fact  that  he  is  a  member  of  the  Union 
Club  of  New  York,  treasurer  of  the  Hohenzollern  Club,  the  Oriental  Sharp- 
shooters, and  other  prominent  organizations  of  New  York  and  New  Rochelle. 
He  is  identified  with  the  volunteer  fire  department  of  New  Rochelle  and  a 
member  of  the  local  board  of  trade,  and  also  takes  a  helpful  interest  in  all 
the  affairs  of  the  little  city.  He  and  his  wife  and  other  members  of  the 
family  are  communicants  of  St.  John's  church. 

Dr.  Kress   was   married,  September  5,  1883,  to  Clara,  the   daughter  of 

Joseph   Hubert,  on   Greenpoint  avenue.   Long  Island.      Mr.  Hubert  was  a 

cabinet-maker  by  trade,  a   successful   business   man    and  a  patriotic  citizen. 

He  was  a  corporal   in    the    Fifty-seventh    Prussian   Infantry,  with  which   he 

served  three  years.      He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1861,  and  after  livings 

for  a  time  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  took  up  his  permanent  residence  on  Long 

Island.      Of  his  six  children  Clara,  wife  of  Dr.  Kress,  was  the  first  born;  the 

others  are  deceased.      Mr.  Hubert  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years,  and 
49 


770  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Mrs.  Hubert  at  the  age  of  fifty-four.  John  Dunski,  Mrs.  Kress's  maternal 
grandfather,  now  about  eighty-nine  years  old,  was  a  soldier  in  the  German 
army  for  a  time.  Coming  to  America,  he  found  an  abiding  place  at  Green- 
point,  Long  Island,  where  he  passed  the  active  years  of  his  life  as  a  cabinet- 
maker. He  is  a  very  religious  man.  His  wife  is  living,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-eight  years.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Kress  have  had  three  children,  —  Ida, 
Clara  and  John  J. 


WILLIAM  H.   LAKE. 


The  successful  conduct  of  an  extensive  business  enterprise  demands 
ability  and  talent  of  a  no  less  pronounced  order  than  that  of  the  poet,  the 
musician,  the  inventor  or  the  scientist.  Comparatively  few,  indeed,  are  the 
men  who  are  capable  of  handling  successfully  mammoth  business  enterprises. 
Great  energy,  industry,  perseverance  and  ability  are  of  most  potent  essentiality. 
But  to  these  must  be  added,  as  of  equal  importance,  an  executive  and  organiz- 
ing power  of  a  high  order,  together  with  tact  in  the  handling  of  men.  While 
some  of  these  characteristics  are  in  a  measure  the  heritage  of  the  individual, 
they  are  by  no  means  incapable  of  culture  and  development  by  their  proper 
exercise  and  application.  The  above  is  a  just  allusion  to  the  individuality  of 
the  gentleman  who  stands  as  the  subject  of  this  review. 

William  Henry  Lake  is  a  son  of  Edward  and  Harriet  (Thorn)  Lake,  and 
was  born  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  October  21,  1867.  His  father,  Edward 
Lake,  was  born  September  i,  1824,  in  Devonshire,  England,  and  his  grand- 
father Lake  was  a  wealthy  tanner  and  manufacturer  of  Devonshire.  He  was 
an  extensive  property-holder  and  a  man  prominent  in  industrial  and  public 
affairs,  having  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  in  various  other  official 
capacities  for  many  years.  He  passed  away,  in  the  land  of  his  birth,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  ninety-eight  years, — three  years  the  senior  of  his  wife,  who 
died  at  ninety-five  years. 

Although  possessed  of  a  very  meager  scholastic  training,  Mr.  Lake  early 
acquired  a  studious  disposition  and  throughout  his  life  continued  to  be  a  student 
and  a  great  reader.  He  became  an  expert  silk- worker  by  trade  as  well  as  a 
carver.  In  1859  he  came  to  this  country  with  his  wife  and  seven  children, 
locating  at  Brooklyn,  New  York.  He  there  became  engaged  in  the  general  mer- 
cantile business,  operating  during  the  war  period  as  many  as  nine  stores  at  a 
time,  in  different  parts  of  the  city.  He  prospered  in  business  and  became 
wealthy,  retiring  early  in  life  upon  a  handsome  but  well  earned  competency. 
He  continued  to  reside  in  Brooklyn  up  to  his  death,  December  7,  1893.  He 
had  been  prominent  in  the  social  and  political  affairs  of  the  city,  having 
served  as  an  alderman  from  the  fifteenth  ward  for  several  years.      Fraternally 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  771 

he  was  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  St.  George,  and  religiously  was  a  zealous 
member  of  the  Baptist  church.      He  was  twice  married. 

His  second  marital  relation  was  with  Harriet  Thorn,  a  daughter  of 
Edwin  Thorn,  who  for  many  years  was  connected  with  the  Brooklyn  post- 
office,  in  charge  of  the  money-order  department.  She  died  March  4,  1889. 
Their  children  were:  Harriet;  Thomas,  deceased;  Edwin  T. ;  and  William 
H.j'the  subject  of  this  review. 

William  H.  Lake  graduated  from  the  Brooklyn  high  school  at  eighteen 
years  of  age,  and  subsequently  pursued  and  completed  the  four-year  course 
of  the  Chautauqua  College.  He  then  spent  two  years  in  an  office  in  New 
York  city  in  the  study  of  architecture.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time,  hav- 
ing mastered  a  knowledge  of  the  theoretical  as  well  as  the  practical  elements 
•of  the  subject,  he  connected  himself  with  a  building  company  for  the  pur- 
pose of  learning  the  building  business,  and  subsequently,  for  two  years,  was 
engaged  in  contracting  and  building  on  his  own  account.  Having  had  a 
long  cherished  desire  to  learn  the  banking  business,  and  a  favorable  oppor- 
tunity presenting  itself  at  this  time,  he  accordingly  accepted  the  position  of 
■clearing-house  clerk  with  the  Third  National  Bank  of  New  York. 

While  serving  in  that  capacity,  having  displayed  a  business  tact  of  a 
superior  order,  he  was  sought  by  the  First  National  Bank  of  Yonkers  as 
head  bookkeeper  for  their  bank,  a  position  which  he  accepted  and  filled, 
with  credit  to  himself  and  fidelity  to  his  employers,  for  seven  years. 

During  that  time  he  became  interested  in  building  in  a  small  way, 
devoting  such  time  to  the  same  as  his  duties  at  the  bank  would  permit. 
Finally  his  building  operations  developed  to  such  proportions  as  to  demand 
more  of  his  time,  and  he  accordingly  resigned  from  the  bank  to  devote  his 
entire  time  to  his  rapidly  growing  business.  Since  then  he  has  become  an 
extensive  operator  in  New  York  city,  as  well  as  Yonkers.  He  has  erected 
some  of  the  handsomest  blocks  in  New  York.  Noteworthy  among  the  many 
is  a  block  of  brown-stone  residences  on  One  Hundred  and  Fourty-fourth 
street,  erected  at  a  cost  of  three  hundred  thousand  dollars;  another  block  of 
«ight  handsome  stone  residences,  at  a  cost  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars,  at  St.  Nicholas  avenue  and  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  street, 
besides  any  number  of  apartment  houses  and  cottages  in  different  parts  of 
the  city. 

He  has  also  done  a  considerable  amount  of  building  in  the  city  of  Yonk- 
ers, having  completed  in  1898  a  block  of  apartment  houses  on  Riverdale 
avenue,  which  was  the  largest  block  built  in  that  city  in  that  year.  He  is 
an  extensive  dealer  in  real  estate,  and  through  his  efforts  many  houses  have 
been  built  in  Yonkers  and  many  families  brought  to  reside  there. 

He  is  secretary  and  treasurer,  as  well   as  confidential   manager,  of  the 


772  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Yonkers  branch  of  the  Mercantile  Co-operative  Bank  of  New  York,  in  which 
capacity  he  has  had  over  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars  pass  through  his 
hands.  To  the  credit  of  Mr.  Lake  it  may  be  noted  that  in  the  Yonkers 
branch  of  the  bank's  interests  are  the  most  profitable  of  its  investments. 
Possessing  a  natural  talent  for  business,  by  conservative,  calculating  and  care- 
ful methods,  he  is  fast  forging  to  the  forefront  as  one  of  the  most  reliable  and 
substantial  business  men  in  the  city  of  Yonkers.  The  history  of  his  busy*life 
presents  a  splendid  example  of  the  great  possibilities  the  less  economic  con- 
ditions of  our  country  offer  to  ability  and  a  determination  to  succeed.  The 
successful  achievement  of  his  short  career  bespeak  for  him  a  rich  future. 

During  the  Spanish- American  war  he,  in  July,  1898,  organized  Company 
I  for  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighth  Regiment,  from  New  York  city  and 
Yonkers,  of  which  he  was  made  captain.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Yonkers 
City  Club  and  the  Palisade  Boat  Club.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 

Mr.  Lake  was  happily  married  October  23,  1890,  to  Miss  Laura  Spof- 
ford  Wiltsie,  a  daughter  of  John  R.  and  Mary  Susan  (Spofford)  Wiltsie,  of 
Newburgh,  New  York.  She  was  educated  largely  under  private  tuition.  She 
is  accomplished  as  a  vocalist  and  possesses  an  artistic  talent  as  a  landscape 
and  figure  painter  of  a  high  order.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lake  has 
been  blessed  with  three  children,  who  brighten  their  home,  namely:  Anis- 
worth  Spofford,  Henry  Rapelyea  and  John  Wiltsie. 


THE  PHILIPSES  AND  THE  MANOR— 1672-1775. 


Well  nigh  a  hundred  circling  years 

Dwelt  princely  lords  in  affluence  great, 

In  Manor  Hall,  and  proudly  rode 

The  forests  of  their  vast  estate. 

At  nuptial  feast,  where  pleasure  cheered, 

And  guests  their  merry-making  had, 

An  Indian,  tall  and  grave,  appeared, 

In  scarlet  blanket  closely  clad. 

From  door  of  banquet  hall  he  spoke 

With  measured  words,  and  strange,  and  few, 

Which  in  the  nearing  days  of  war. 

To  wondering  bride  proved  sadly  true, 

"From  you  shall  these  possessions  pass," 

(For  thus  the  portent  message  came), 

"  What  time  the  eagle  shall  despoil 

The  tawny  lion  of  his  mane.'' 

— Manor  Hall  Legend. 


During  more  than  one-third  of  the  three  centuries  which  the  recorded 
history  of  Yonkers  covers,  most  of  the  territory  within  the  bounds  of  the 


O 


Pi 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  773 

present  city  was  owned  by  three  members  of  the  Phihpse  family,  each  of 
whom  was  named  Frederick,  and  each  of  whom  was  known  as  the  lord  of 
the  manor.  It  is  to  be  remembered,  however,  that  the  term  "lord  of  the 
manor  "  is  a  technical  one,  and  means  simply,  the  owner,  the  possessor  of  the 
manor:  nothing  more.  The  lords  of  the  manor  in  the  colony  of  New  York 
were  never  invested  with  the  powers,  privileges,  rights  and  burdens  of  the 
old  feudal  manors  of  England,  with  their  military  tenures.  The  grant  of  a 
manor  did  not  carry  with  it  a  title.  Under  the  English  law  the  sovereign 
alone  is  the  "  source  of  honor,"  and  the  sole  power  that  can,  or  ever  could, 
grant  a  title  or  confer  nobility.  It  is.  therefore,  incorrect  to  write  "Lord 
Philipse."  The  word  manor  is  an  English  corruption  of  the  French  word 
inanoir,  a  habitation,  or  mansion,  in  which  the  owner  of  the  land  dwelt  per- 
manently, and  that  is  derived  from  the  Latin  verb  maneo,  to  remain,  to  abide 
in  a  place,  to  dwell  there.  Another  derivation  of  the  word  has  been  given; 
but  it  is  very  doubtful. 

Frederick  Philipse,  the  first  lord  of  the  manor,  purchased  in  1672  a 
portion  of  the  tract  included  in  the  present  Yorkers  and  owned  nearly  all* 
of  it  about  thirty  years.  The  manor  was  confirmed  to  Frederick  Philipse  in 
1693,  with  the  customary  privileges  of  the  lordship,  of  holding  court-leet, 
court-baron,  exercising  advowson,  etc.  He  died  in  1702.  His  grandson, 
Frederick  Philipse,  the  second  lord  of  the  manor,  owned  the  territory 
included  within  the  boundaries  of  the  present  Yonkers  about  forty-nine  years. 
He  died  in  1751.  Frederick  Philipse,  the  third  lord,  and  the  son  of  the 
second,  owned  the  manor  about  twenty-eight  years.  It  passed  out  of  his 
possession  in  1779,  when  it  was  confiscated  by  the  state.  The  three  Philip- 
ses,  therefore,  were  owners  of  the  territory  embraced  within  the  boundaries 
of  the  Yonkers  of  to-day,  about  one  hundred  and  seven  years. 


C.   LE  GRAND  WASHBURNE. 

The  present  efficient  commissioner  of  New  Castle  township,  and  one  of 
the  brave  defenders  of  the  Union  during  the  civil  war,  is  C.  Le  Grand  Wash- 
burne,  who  is  a  native  of  Westchester  county,  born  on  the  old  homestead 
October  12,  1847.  His  father,  Samuel  Washburne,  was  born  in  1812,  in  Mount 
Pleasant  township,  this  county,  and  on  reaching  manhood  married  Miss  Mari- 
ette  Hyatt,  a  daughter  of  'Squire  Nathaniel  Hyatt.  They  became  the  par- 
ents of  nine  children,  namely:  Mrs.  Melissa  Hull;  Frank  H.,  who  was  a 
soldier  of  the  civil  war  and  died  in  Arkansas  in  1894;  Julia,  deceased;  C.  Le 

*Miles  Square  was  not  included  in  the  patent  of  1685.  In  1685  John  Doughty,  of  Flushing, 
sold  sixty-four  acres,  near  the  Bronx,  in  one  square  mile,  to  Francis  French,  Ebenezer  Jones 
and  John  Wescott. 


774  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

Grand,  our  subject;  Amy, -deceased  wife  of  E.  Gedney;  Warren;  Harry,  a 
contractor  of  Pleasantville,  this  county;  Kate,  deceased  wife  of  Joseph  Burr; 
and  George  B.  McC,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eight  years.  The  parents  are 
still  living,  the  father  having  attained  the  venerable  age  of  eighty-six  years, 
while  the  mother  is  seventy-six  years  of  age.  Both  hold  membership  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and   he  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  C.  Le  Grand  Washburne  early  became  famil- 
iar with  every  department  of  farm  work,  and  obtained  a  good  practical  edu- 
cation in  the  local  schools.  Although  only  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  en- 
listed, in  1863,  in  the  Fourth  New  York  Heavy  Artillery,  and  took  part  in  the 
battles  of  Spottsylvania,  Cold  Harbor,  Petersburg  and  the  Wilderness,  being 
honorably  discharged  at  Hart's  Island,  in  October,  1865,  when  hostilities  had 
ceased  and  his  services  were  no  longer  needed.  For  sixteen  years  he  fol- 
lowed carpentering  and  contracting,  but  is  now  devoting  his  energies  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  with  good  results. 

In  1873  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Washburne  and  Miss  Hester  Rey- 
nolds, a  daughter  of  Smith  Reynolds,  a  leading  blacksmith  of  Mount  Kisco, 
Westchester  county,  and  his  wife  Matilda  (Knapp)  Reynolds,  who  now  makes 
her  home  in  Brooklyn,  New  York.  The  children  born  of  this  union  are 
James  H.,  now  of  Brooklyn;  Mabel,  who  is  a  student  in  the  high  school  of 
that  city;  Frank,  Amy,  Le  Grand,  and  an  infant  son  deceased.  Since  the 
war  Mr.  Washburne  has  been  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  Democracy,  and  is 
an  active  and  zealous  worker  in  its  interests,  always  taking  quite  an  active 
and  prominent  part  in  political  affairs.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


BENJAMIN  BRANDRETH. 

Benjamin  Brandreth,  the  inventor  of  the  proprietary  medicines  the  sales 
of  which  have  reached  such  enormous  proportions,  was  born  in  England  in 
1809.  His  maternal  grandfather  was  a  skillful  physician,  and  enjoyed  a 
large  practice  near  Liverpool,  and  at  an  early  age  his  grandson  was  employed 
under  his  direction  in  compounding  pills  for  gratuitous  distribution  among 
the  poor.  After  the  death  of  his  grandfather  he  resolved  to  seek  a  larger 
field,  and  in  1835  he  came  to  America  with  his  wife  and  three  children.  A 
house  was  rented  in  Hudson  street.  New  York,  and  this  was  not  only  the 
residence  of  his  family,  but  his  entire  business  establishment.  The  attic 
was  used  as  his  laboratory,  where  he  prepared  his  pills,  his  wife  pasted  the 
labels  on  the  boxes,  and  his  eldest  son,  George,  was  just  large  enough  to 
count  the  number  of  pills  for  each  box.  After  paying  rent  and  advertising 
bills,  he  had  remaining  of  the  money  which  he  brought  from  England  the 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  7T5 

sum  of  thirty  dollars,  the  entire  cash  capital  of  a  business  which  afterward 
rose  to  millions.  His  sales  so  rapidly  increased  that  it  was  necessary  to  hire 
the  adjoining  house,  which  he  filled  with  his  assistants,  and  during  the  sec- 
ond year  four  hundred  thousand  boxes  of  pills  were  sold.  In  1837  he 
removed  his  business  to  Sing  Sing,  and  purchased  land  to  such  an  extent 
that  he  was  able  to  build  his  various  factories  at  such  a  distance  apart  as  to 
prevent  any  chance  of  total  destruction  in  case  of  fire.  In  1848  Dr.  Brand- 
reth  purchased  an  interest  in  "  Allcock's  Porous  Plasters,"  and  in  1857 
became  the  sole  proprietor,  and  added  thus  to  his  already  immense  business. 
The  career  of  Dr.  Brandreth  is  the  most  important  episode  in  the  history  of 
advertising.  During  his  life  he  expended  for  that  purpose  alone  the  enor- 
mous sum  of  three  millions  of  dollars,  and  the  various  ways  by  which  his 
medicines  were  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  public  were  almost  number- 
less. The  appreciation  by  the  people  of  his  great  energy  and  business 
capacity  was  manifested  by  his  election  to  the  state  senate  in  1850,  and  he 
was  again  elected  to  that  position  in  1858.  In  1854  he  purchased  land  in 
New  York  and  built  the  Brandreth  House,  at  the  corner  of  Broadway  and 
Canal  street,  a  very  valuable  piece  of  property.  • 

Dr.  Brandreth  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Harriet  Small- 
page,  whom  he  wedded  in  England.  By  this  union  he  had  three  children — 
George  A.;  Charles;  and  Ellen,  wife  of  Henry  Bacon,  of  Goshen,  Orange 
county.  Mrs.  Brandreth  died  in  1836,  and  he  was  married  a  second  time,  to 
Virginia  Graham.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children:  Beatrice,  wife  of 
Colonel  Henry  C.  Symonds;  William;  Henry;  Franklin;  Annie,  wife  of  Edwin 
McAlpin;  Gertrude,  wife  of  Frank  B.  Robinson;  Florence,  wife  of  Lieutenant 
Herbert  J.  Slocum;  Kate,  wife  of  Lieutenant  Henry  L.  Green,  United  States 
Navy;  Ralph;  and  Isabella.  Dr.  Brandreth  was  for  many  years  president  of 
the  village  of  Sing  Sing,  and  his  death  occurred  February  19,  1880.  His 
business,  which  had  grown  to  vast  proportions,  was  left  to  his  sons,  of  whom 
Henry  is  the  general  agent  in  England,  while  the  others  conduct  the  manu- 
facture in  this  country.  The  annual  productions  by  the  firm  are  two  million 
boxes  of  pills  and  five  million  of  Allcock's  Porous  Plasters.  The  history  of 
the  country  affords  few  instances  of  a  larger  result  arising  from  so  small  a 
beginning. 

JOHN  D.  IHLDER. 
John  D.  Ihlder  was  born  at  Vegesack,  Bremen,  Germany,  on  the  28th 
of  January,  1848,  and  is  a  son  of  John  D.  and  Johanna  (Schaeffer)  Ihlder. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  Gerhart  Ihlder,  was  a  sea  captain  of  Bremen  and 
a  man  of  good  education.  He  had  four  sons,  namely:  Gerhart,  Hilebrich, 
John  D.  and  Wilhelm.     The  grandfather  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years, 


776  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

while  his  wife  passed  away  at  the  age  of  eighty-four.  The  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, also  a  native  of  Bremen,  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years,  His 
widow  is  still  living,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven,  making  her  home  in  Berlin. 
In  their  family  are  four  children, —  Gerhart,  Heinrich,  John  D.  and 
Elizabeth. 

In  his  youth  John  D.  Ihlder,  of  this  review,  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Bremerhaven  and  was  graduated  in  the  high  school  there.  Later  he 
graduated  in  a  navigation  school,  and  during  his  early  manhood  served  for 
one  year  in  the  German  navy.  On  the  completion  of  his  education  he  went 
to  sea,  became  captain  of  a  vessel,  and  remained  in  command  until  1883, 
when  he  resolved  to  seek  a  home  in  the  New  World.  Accordingly  he 
entered  the  electrical-engineering  department  of  Cornell  University,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1887,  with  the  degree  of  Mechanical 
Engineer.  Immediately  afterward  he  entered  the  employ  of  Eickemeier  & 
Osterheld,  of  Yonkers,  as  an  electrical  engineer,  and  continued  in  their 
service  until  1892,  when  he  became  associated  with  the  Otis  Electric  Com- 
pany as  chief  electrical  engineer. 

In  1875  Mr.  Ihlder  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  M.  A.  Mott,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Elijah  and  Rebecca  Mott,  and  their  children  are:  John  W.,  who  is  a 
student  in  the  science  department  of  Cornell  College;  and  Rebecca,  who  is 
now  pursuing  her  education  in  Wellesley  College. 


JOHN  G.   P.   HOLDEN. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  John  George  Parker  Holden,  was  born  in 
Poughkeepsie,  Dutchess  county.  New  York,  on  the  22d  of  August,  1834, 
being  the  eldest  child  of  Thomas  and  Sarah  (Parker)  Holden.  After  acquir- 
ing a  thorough  common-school  education,  he  entered  the  Quintilian  Semi- 
nary, of  Poughkeepsie,  conducted  by  the  Rev.  Eliphaz  Fay,  and  on  the 
completion  of  his  course  was  graduated  at  that  institution.  When  his  school 
life  was  ended  he  at  once  began  preparation  for  that  vocation  which  he  so 
highly  honored  for  more  than  forty  years,  going  into  the  office  of  the  Pough- 
keepsie Telegraph,  and  through  six  years  of  faithful  application  working  his 
way,  step  by  step,  to  a  mastery  not  only  of  every  detail  of  the  practical 
requirements  of  the  newspaper-publishing  and  job-printing  business,  but  also 
to  editorial  fitness  as  well,  filling  satisfactorily  and  ably  every  place  in  the 
office  from  that  of  "devil"  up  to  that  of  editor.  During  this  time  he  also 
served  two  years  as  assistant  postmaster  of  Poughkeepsie,  under  President 
Franklin  Pierce. 

In  the  summer  of  1858  Mr.  Holden  went  to  New  York  city  for  a  brief 
season  of  work  upon  the  Journal  of  Commerce.      Returning  to  Poughkeepsie 


J.G.P.  Holden. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  777 

in  November  of  that  year,  he  became  local  editor  and  cashier  of  The  Daily 
Press  of  that  place,  and  in  April,  1859,  purchased  a  quarter  interest  in  the 
same,  his  associates  being  Albert  S.  Pease  and  John  W.  Spaight.  From  this 
time  until  1863,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  months'  service  as  reporter, 
proof-reader  and  editor,  respectively,  on  the  New  York  Sun,  then  published 
by  Moses  Y.  Beach,  Mr.  Holden  continued  his  connection  with  the  Pough- 
keepsie  Daily  Press,  the  paper  being  published  the  latter  part  of  the  time  by 
Holden  &  Spaight,  the  partners  being  J.  G.  P.  Holden  and  J.  W.  Spaight. 
Early  in  the  year  he  entered  into  a  co-partnership  with  J.  Henry  Hager  for 
the  establishment  of  a  new  daily  in  Poughkeepsie — The  Poughkeepsian — with 
which  venture  his  interests  were  allied  until  the  close  of  1863. 

On  the  6th  of  May,  1864,  Mr.  Holden  was  summoned  to  Yonkers  by  a 
telegram  from  Elon  Comstock,  at  that  time  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the 
New  York  World,  who  wished  him  to  assume  the  business  management  and 
local  editorship  of  The  Yonkers  Herald,  which  was  the  pioneer  paper  of 
the  place,  and  had  just  been  purchased  by  the  Democratic  Publishing 
Association.  With  this  journal,  the  name  of  which  was  soon  changed  to 
The  Yonkers  Gazette,  Mr.  Holden  was  connected  for  over  thirty-three  years, 
or  until  the  fall  pf  1897,  when  failing  health  compelled  him  to  relinquish  his 
charge.  For  about  thirty  years  of  this  time  he  was  the  sole  owner  and 
editor.  His  conduct  of  the  paper  proved  his  eminent  fitness  for  the  profession 
of  journalism,  the  fame  of  The  Yonkers  Gazette  becoming  world-wide  not 
only  for  its  elevated  tone,  versatility  and  humor,  but  also  for  its  splendid 
make-up  and  typographical  beauty.  To  every  element  of  this  success  Mr. 
Holden  contributed  his  genius,  personally  superintending  the  weekly  arrange- 
ment of  its  forms  and  imparting  to  its  letter  press  not  only  much  of  editorial 
force  and  effectiveness  as  well  as  no  little  of  that  pungency  which  put  the 
Yonkers  Gazette  in  the  front  rank  of  moral,  enterprising,  progressive,  enter- 
taining and  phenomenally  successful  journals.  As  a  writer  of  political 
editorials  he  excelled  in  that  power  of  concentration  which  is  especially 
effective.  As  one  of  the  noted  coterie  of  original  paragraphists  on  the  Ameri- 
can press  (in  which  his  nom  de  plume  of  "Nonpareil  Quadrat,  X.  P.  D. " 
was  well  known)  he  gave  the  sparkle  of  wit  to  many  brief  comments  on  the 
news  and  foibles  of  the  day.  His  quick  conception,  too,  of  humor  and  senti- 
ment in  others  was  of  rare  service  in  brightening  the  weekly  issues  of  his 
paper,  and  as  Ralph  Redwood  he  had  for  some  years  demonstrated  this 
by  his  "  diamonds  of  thought"  gleaned  from  the  best  current  literature. 

Mr.  Holden's  interest  in  New  York  journalism  is  attested  by  his  thirty 
years'  membership  in  the  New  York  Press  Association,  in  which  he  served 
one  year  as  secretary,  another  as  president  and  for  more  than  twelve  years 
^was  an  active,  earnest  and  honored  member  of  the  executive  committee.    He 


778  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

was  chosen  four  times  as  a  delegate  from  this  association  to  the  annual  meet- 
ings of  the  National  Association,  in  which  he  ably  represented  his  brethren 
of  the  New  York  state  press.  He  was  one  of  the  originators  of  the  Demo- 
cratic Editorial  Association  of  the  state  of  New  York,  and  served  as  its  treas- 
urer from  its  formation.  In  1897  he  was  especially  honored  by  both  these 
New  York  Press  associations  through  election  to  a  life  membership  in  each. 

The  public  spirit  of  Mr.  Holden  has  been  manifested  throughout  his 
career.  At  Poughkeepsie  he  was  for  eight  years  an  active  member  of  the 
volunteer  fire  department,  serving  as  private  secretary  and  assistant  foreman 
of  the  Davy  Crockett  Hook  and  Ladder  Company.  He  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Young  Men's  Association  and  the  Dramatic  Society,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lyceum  and  connected  with  many  other  local  organizations.  He 
was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  Ellsworth  Guard,  an  independent 
military  company  formed  on  the  day  of  the  tragic  death  of  Colonel  Elmer 
Ellsworth,  soon  after  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war.  This  company, 
attached  to  the  Twenty-first  Regiment  National  Guard  of  the  state  of  New 
York,  served  for  three  months  during  the  war. 

In  Yonkers,  Mr.  Holden  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Owl,  Olympic 
Ball  and  Palisade  Boat  Clubs,  holding  important  offices  in  ^11  of  them.  He 
was  a  trustee,  was  secretary  for  eleven  years  and  for  several  years  was  the 
first  vice-president  of  the  People's  Savings  Bank.  He  was  a  charter  member 
of  Nepperhan  Lodge,  No.  736,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  a  director  of  the  Free  Reading 
Room;  a  member  of  the  executive  committee  for  the  bicentennial  celebration, 
held  in  Yonkers  October  18,  1882;  and  a  member  of  the  executive  committee 
of  the  Soldiers  and  Sailors'  Monument  Association,  which  raised  the  money 
and  erected  on  Manor  Hall  grounds,  at  a  cost  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars,  the 
monument  which  was  dedicated  September  17,  1891.  For  twelve  consecu- 
tive years  he  was  secretary  of  the  Democratic  general  committee  of  Yonkers, 
and  was  repeatedly  chosen  as  a  delegate  to  Democratic  state,  congressional, 
senatorial,  county,  district  and  city  conventions.  He  was  also  for  some  time 
a  member  of  the  Democratic  Club  of  the  city  of  New  York. 

As  editor  of  the  Yonkers  Gazette  Mr.  Holden  always  took  the  lead  in 
every  movement  for  the  upbuilding  and  progress — religious,  moral,  social  and 
political —  of  Yonkers,  as  well  as  for  its  advancement  in  other  directions. 
Particular  instances  of  this  may  be  noted  in  his  famous  humorous  crusade 
against  those  twin  nuisances,  the  "Rat  Pit  Depot"  of  the  New  York  Cen- 
tral &  Hudson  River  Railroad  and  "  Main  street's  beautiful  curve,"  the  abol- 
ition of  both  of  which  was  mainly  due  to  him.  Among  matters  more  seri- 
ously treated  in  the  Gazette  were  the  return  of  the  railroad  station  from  the 
foot  of  Locust  street  to  its  former  and  present  location  at  the  foot  of  Main 
street;  the  building  of  a  permanent  bridge  in  the  place  of  the  railroad  draw- 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  779' 

bridge  over  the  Nepperhan  at  Dock  street;  and  the  Neperhan  river  nuisance, 
against  which  his  newspaper  waged  unceasing  warfare  for  years,  until  it  was 
abated,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  every  resident  of  Yonkers.  He  always 
kept  at  the  head  of  the  procession — often  far  in  advance  of  it — in  the  onward 
march  of  public  improvements,  such  as  securing  a  city  charter  for  the  place; 
bonding  the  city  for  water-works,  sewers  and  street  paving;  the  opening, 
regulating  and  grading  of  new  streets;  the  preservation  of  Manor  Hall  and  its 
grounds;  electric  lighting;  erection  of  public  buildings  and  the  construction 
of  street  railways,  using  the  columns  of  his  paper  in  persistent  advocacy 
thereof,  until   all  of  these  and   many  other  improvements  were  secured. 

Although  a  Democrat  of  the  strictest  sort  in  his  discussion  of  political' 
questions,  national,  state  and  local,  Mr.  Holden  was  never  offensive  to  his 
friends,  "the  enemy."  While  emphatic  in  exposing  and  denouncing  cor- 
ruption and  fraud  in  all  parties,  he  never  indulged  in  the  reprehensible  prac- 
tice, as  too  many  editors  do,  of  vituperation  and  mud-throwing,  seeking 
rather  to  serve  his  party  and  its  candidates  by  advocating  the  principles  of 
the  former  and  the  fitness  of  the  latter.  He  was  never  an  office-seeker,  yet 
the  Democratic  party  of  Yonkers,  recognizing  his  personal  integrity,  moral 
worth  and  political  honesty,  called  him  successively  to  such  honorable, 
responsible  and  trustworthy  places  as  town  clerk,  in  i865,  village  clerk,  in 
1869,  and  city  treasurer  in  1885.  To  the  last  named  office  he  was 
appointed  by  Mayor  William  G.  Stahlnecker,  confirmed  by  the  common 
council  March  11,  1885,  and  reappointed  by  Mayor  J.  Harvey  Bell  May  24,- 
1886,  serving  in  that  position  about  two  years.  He  was  repeatedly  urged 
to  accept  the  Democratic  nomination  lor  different  state,  county  and  city 
offices,  but  always  declined  to  comply. 

On  the  29th  of  August,  1894,  President  Cleveland  appointed  Mr.  Hol- 
den postmaster  at  Yonkers  and  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  that  office  Oc- 
tober I,  1894.  This  was  a  "  recess"  appointment,  good  only  until  the  next 
session  of  congress,  and  he  was  accordingly  re-appointed  by  the  president, 
after  the  re-assembling  of  congress,  for  a  full  term,  which  appointment  was 
confirmed  by  the  United  States  senate,  December  11,  1894.  Many  im- 
provements in  the  mail  service  of  Yonkers  and  two  additional  carriers  were 
secured  by  Postmaster  Holden,  and  his  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the 
office  was  up-to-date, — conducted  on  strict  business  principles.  He  retired 
from  this  office  June  30,  1898, — having  served  three  years  and  nine  months, 
and  carried  with  him  the  best  wishes  of  the  post-office  employes,  who,  in 
order  to  testify  their  regard  for  and  interest  in  him,  presented  him  with  an 
elegant  hardwood  easy  chair,  handsomely  upholstered. 

While  not  an  avowed  professor  of  religion,  for  over  forty  years  Mr. 
Holden  has  been  a  pew-holder  in  the  Baptist  church,  and  a  firm  believer  in 


780  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

its  doctrines  and  practices,  this  belief  being  doubtless  an  inheritance  from 
his  maternal  grandfather,  George  Parker,  of  Lancashire,  England,  who  left 
his  native  land  because  of  religious  persecution,  and  made  his  way  to  Amer- 
ica. Locating  in  Poughkeepsie  he  there  established  the  first  Baptist  society 
in  that  part  of  the  country. 

On  the  22d  of  November,  1864,  Mr.  Holden  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Maria  E.  Le  Count,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren, all  yet  living,  namely,  Edwin  Rufus,  Dr.  George  Parker  and  Mary  Hol- 
den. This  happy  alliance  has  added  greatly  to  the  elements  of  Mr.  Holden's 
success,  steadfast  encouragement  and  wise  counsel  having  emphasized  the 
industry,  business  alertness,  intelligence  and  sound  judgment  that  have  con- 
tributed to  win  for  him  the  fair  fame  which  is  now  his  popular  award. 


JOHN  H.  JENKIN,  M.  D. 


Dr.  Jenkin,  one  of  the  younger  representatives  of  the  medical  profession 
in  Westchester  county,  has  already  attained  a  high  degree  of  success  in  his 
chosen  calling  and  now  enjoys  a  large  and  lucrative  practice  in  Shrub  Oak, 
Westchester  county,  and  also  in  the  adjoining  county  of  Putnam. 

He  was  born  of  English  parentage  in  West  Stockbridge,  near  Pittsfield, 
Massachusetts,  August  31,  1869,  a  son  of  Elijah  and  Ahce  (James)  Jenkin. 
His  father  is  now  deceased  and  his  mother  makes  her  home  with  a  daughter 
at  Rockland  Lake,  this  state.  The  Doctor  spent  the  greater  part  of  his 
boyhood  and  youth  in  study,  completing  the  scientific  course  at  Fort  Edward 
Institute  in  1889.  Later  he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  the  city  of  New  York,  and  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1893,  April 
7,  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  On  the  29th  day  of  April,  1893,  the  Doctor 
passed  the  state  medical  examination  held  by  the  University  of  the  State  of 
New  York.  The  same  year  he  also  received  a  diploma  from  the  Midwifery 
Dispensary  of  New  York  city.  In  order  to  gain  a  good  practical  knowledge 
-of  his  profession  he  engaged  in  practice  for  eighteen  months  in  the  work- 
house and  almshouse  hospitals  of  New  York  city,  and  received  a  diploma 
from  the  local  board  of  the  above  named  institutions,  approved  by  the  com- 
missioners of  charities  and  corrections  of  that  city.  August  i,  1894,  he  was 
made  a  registered  pharmacist  of  the  city  and  county  of  New  York.  Being 
thus  well  fitted  for  his  life  work,  he  opened  an  office  in  Shrub  Oak,  where 
he  was  not  long  in  securing  an  excellent  practice.  He  is  now  numbered 
among  the  leading  physicians  and  surgeons  of  the  county,  and  is  serving  as 
health  officer  of  the  town  of  Yorktown  and  also  of  the  town  of  Putnam 
Valley. 

April  8,  1897,  Dr.  Jenkin  was  married  to  Miss  G.  Bertha  Lent,  a  daugh- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  781' 

ter  of  the  late  Theodore  and  Cornelia  (Denike)  Lent,  of  Shrub  Oak.  On 
her  maternal  side  she  is  a  descendant  from  a  good  old  Revolutionary  family, 
a  great-grandfather  being  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  army.  She  was 
educated  at  the  St.  Gabriel's  at  Peekskill,  and  is  a  lady  of  culture  and^ 
refinement  and  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church  of  Mohegan  Lake,  West- 
chester county.  The  Doctor  and  his  wife  have  a  beautiful  rural  home,  where 
they  dispense  a  pleasing  hospitality  to  their  many  friends,  for  they  are  very 
popular  in  the  best  social  circles  of  the  community.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  the  Mohegan  Country  and  Golf  Clubs, 
and  also  of  the  Westchester  County  Medical  Society  and  others. 


JOHN  R.  WILTSIE. 


John  R.  Wiltsie  descended  from  a  noted  line  of  ancestors.  Hendrick 
Martinsen  Wiltsie  came  from  Denmark  to  this  country  in  the  early  part  of 
the  seventeenth  century.  He  served  in  the  Esopus  war  and  settled  near  Hell 
Gate,  Long  Island,  and  reared  three  sons.  One  of  these  sons  emigrated  to 
Sylvan  Lake,  Dutchess  county.  New  York,  where  he  purchased  two  tracts  of 
land,  comprising  over  one  thousand  three  hundred  acres.  In  1773  Johannes 
Wiltsie  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant  of  foot  militia  in  Dutchess  county, 
and  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  Revolution.  He  died  in  1820,  aged  thirty- 
eight  years. 

John  C.  Wiltsie,  father  of  John  R. ,  was  a  farmer  and  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  energy  and  firmness,  and  eminently  straightforward 
in  all  his  dealings.  He  died  when  his  son  John  R.  was  but  six  years 
old.  He  married  Lavina  Rapelyea,  whose  ancestors  had  been  driven 
out  of  France  by  the  edict  of  Nantes.  She  was  a  woman  of  great 
strength  of  character,  and  although  left  a  widow  with  a  large  family  of  chil- 
dren, she  early  instilled  into  them  lessons  of  obedience,  industry,  honor  and 
integrity,  which  made  her  son  a  worthy  representative  of  a  noble  lineage, 
which  stood  exponential  of  virtue,  courage,  perseverance,  independence,  and 
loyalty  to  God,  to  the  truth  and  to  country,  in  a  manner  constituting  true 
nobility. 

The  educational  advantages  of  John  R.  Wiltsie  were  meagre,  but  this 
fact  seemed  to  inspire  him  to  extra  personal  efforts  and  studious  habits,  all  of 
which  tended  to  make  him  a  self-reliant  man.  He  was  born  at  Sylvan  Lake, 
near  Fishkill,  Dutchess  county.  New  York,  June  5,  1814.  He  was  educated 
in  the  district  schools,  which  he  attended  during  the  winter  months.  At  the 
age  of  fifteen  he  took  up  an  apprenticeship  at  saddle  and  harness  making  at 
Newburgh,  with  B.  F.  Buckingham  and  remained  with  him  up  to  1835,  when 
he  commenced  in  saddlery  business  on  his  own  account   at   Newburgh,  on. 


782  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

Water  street,  where  he  continued  up  to  1862,  being  succeeded  at  that  time 
by  his  son,  G.  Fred.  Within  this  time  he  had  become  somewhat  interested 
in  the  insurance  business,  and  after  abandoning  the  saddlery  business  he  gave 
his  attention  to  insurance,  to  which  he  soon  added  brokerage  and  banking, 
the  first  enterprise  of  its  kind  in  Newburgh.  In  1867  his  son  Arthur  V.  be- 
came associated  with  him  and  in  1869  the  firm  of  John  R.  Wiltsie  &  Son 
was  formed  and  opened  up  offices  in  the  present  Savings  Bank  building. 

In  business  he  was  of  a  practical,  decidedly  independent  and  original  cast 
of  mind,  strong  in  his  convictions,  tenacious  to  his  views,  adhering  to  what 
he  considered  just  and  right,  though  compelled  to  stand  alone.  He  was  a 
trustee  of  the  Newburgh  Savings  Bank  from  1855  up  to  his  death,  as  well  as 
secretary  of  the  board  for  the  same  length  of  time.  He  did  more  toward 
making  the  institution  a  success  than  any  other  man.  What  had  been  a 
failure  with  a  capital  of  twenty-eight  thousand  dollars  he  built  up  until  it 
represented  four  million  dollars  deposits  at  his  death.  On  January  5,  1870, 
he  was  appointed  treasurer  of  the  Newburgh  &  Cochocton  Turnpike  Com- 
pany, continuing  in  the  office  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

Though  not  a  politician  he  filled  the  office  of  deputy  internal-revenue 
assessor.  He  was  fond  of  the  rod  and  gun,  and  made  annual  trips  to  the 
Adirondacks  on  hunting  and  fishing  expeditions.  He  was  a  man  of  very 
robust  health.  He  was  president  of  the  Hudson  River  Association,  organ- 
ized for  the  protection  of  game. 

Mr.  Wiltsie's  first  wife,  Elmira,  a  daughter  of  Robert  Lawson,  he  mar- 
ried October  17,  1837.  They  had  one  child,  G.  Fred.  Mrs.  Wiltsie  died 
in  January,  1843.  On  January  9,  1845,  he  married  Mary  Susan,  a  daughter 
of  Rev.  Luke  A.  Spofford,  of  Massachusetts,  and  a  sister  of  Judge  Henry 
Spofford,  of  Louisiana,  and  A.  R.  Spofford,  formerly  librarian  of  congress. 
Her  father  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Israel  Putnam. 

To  this  union  were  born  six  children:  Arthur;  Elmira,  wife  of  J.  T.  Jos- 
lin;  Henry  A.,  who  died  young;  Harriet  Maria;  Charlotte  E. ; -and  Laura 
Spofford,  wife  of  subject,  W.  H.  Lake. 

Socially  Mr.  Wiltsie  was  a  genial,  courtly  gentleman,  decidedly  com- 
panionable. He  possessed  a  certain  magnetic  attraction  which  awakened  in 
his  friends  a  strong,  clinging  attachment.  Warm  in  his  sympathies,  acute 
in  his  discernment  of  good  qualities,  he  quickly  took  the  measure  of  men, 
entered  into  their  sensibilities  and  felt  with  them  and  for  them.  He  was 
versatile  of  mind,  and  of  great  tact  as  a  conversationalist.  In  bearing  he 
was  of  aristocratic  appearance,  but  he  was  very  democratic  in  his  real  nature 
and  conduct.  In  his  church  relations  he  was  a  devout  churchman  and 
exemplary  Christian,  being  a  regular  attendant  of  divine  services  and  a  liberal 
giver  to  church  support.      He  was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Dutch  Reformed 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  783 

church  of  Newburgh  and  for  many  years  was  elder,  deacon  and  superintend- 
ent of  the  Sunday-school.  He  was  county  secretary  of  the  State  Sabbath- 
school  Association,  and  organized  the  first  Sabbath-school  association  in 
Orange  county.      Mr.  Wiltsie  died  August  i6,   1882. 


REV.  LUKE  A.  SPOFFORD. 

Rev.  Luke  A.  Spofford,  maternal  grandfather  of  Mrs.  William  H.  Lake, 
mentioned  on  anotherpage,  was  born  Novembers,  1785,  atjaffry.  New  Hamp- 
shire. He  graduated  from  Middlebury  College,  and  subsequently  lived  at 
Gilmanton,  New  Hampshire.  He  was  a  devoted  Christian  worker,  and  served 
as  pastor  of  the  following  churches:  Gilmanton,  Brentwood,  Lancaster, 
Atkinson,  Chilmark  and  Martha's  Vineyard.  Besides  this  he  did  a  great 
deal  of  missionary  work  in  the  western  states,  and  was  the  founder  of 
many  churches.  He  died  at  Rockport,  Indiana,  September  27,  1855.  His 
wife  died  at  Williamsburg,  Ohio,  February  25,  1855,  aged  sixty-three  years. 
Their  children  were:  Richard  Cecil,  a  graduate  of  Amherst  College;  Mary 
Susan,  who  became  the  wife  of  John  R.  Wiltsie,  whose  sketch  precedes  this, 
a  most  estimable  lady,  was  educated  at  Wheaton  College,  has  written  sev- 
•eral  poems,  and  possesses  considerable  literary  ability;  Judge  Henry,  Martin, 
Elizabeth  Jane,    Ainsworth  Rand  and  Ann  Matilda. 

Judge  Henry  Spofford  was  born  at  Gilmanton,  New  Hampshire,  in  1821, 
and  graduated  with  highest  honors  from  Amherst  College  in  1840,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  faculty  of  that  college  in  1840-42.  He  subsequently  went 
to  Louisiana,  where  he  taught  school,  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to 
practice  in  1845,  becoming  associated  with  Judge  Alcott.  He  compiled 
a  work  called  Louisiana  Magisterial,  which  became  invaluable  to  the  legal 
profession.  He  was  elected  judge  of  the  supreme  court  of  Louisiana  at 
thirty-three  years  of  age,  and  many  of  his  rulings  on  the  bench  became  stat- 
utes. He  was  elected  United  States  senator  from  Louisiana  in  1876.  He 
died  August  21,   1880,  while  on  a  health  tour. 

Ainsworth  Rand  Spofford,  who  was  for  thirty-two  years  the  librarian  of 
congress,  was  educated  in  a  classical  course  under  private  tuition  and  later 
became  a  bookseller  and  publisher.  In  1859  he  became  associate  editor  of 
the  Cincinnati  Commercial.  In  1861  he  was  appointed  assistant  hbrarian  of 
congress  by  President  Lincoln,  and  in  1864  became  librarian  in  chief,  in 
which  capacity  he  served  up  to  1896.  During  this  time  he  built  the  library 
up  from  seventy  thousand  volumes  to  over  six  hundred  thousand  volumes. 

He  made  the  position  a  very  important  and  responsible  one  as  well  as  a 
•difficult  one  to  fill.     During  his  time  he  established  the  ruling  which  required 


784  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

that  all  the  copyrights  and  copyright  publications  should  be  deposited  in 
the  library. 

He  has  written  voluminously  for  the  press,  on  historical,  economic  and 
literary  subjects,  besides  which  he  has  published  a  number  of  extensive 
works,  among  which  are  The  American  Almanac  and  Treasury  of  Facts,  ten 
volumes,  in  1881-4;  Wit  and  Humor,  five  volumes,  in  1884;  and  a  manual 
of  parliamentary  law,  the  same  year.  He  is  famed  for  his  comprehensive 
knowledge  of  books  and  authors  and  his  broad  range  of  knowledge.  He  is 
a  prodigious  worker.  He  is  a  member  of  various  historical  and  philosoph- 
ical societies,    and  received  the  degree  of  LL.  D.    from  Amherst   College. 

He  was  succeeded  as  librarian,  in  1896,  by  Hon.  John  Russell  Young, 
since  which  time  he  has  devoted  himself  to  collecting  a  library  of  ancient  vol- 
umes from  all  nations.      He  still  resides  in  Washington,  D.  C. 


J.   WESLEY    RANDALL. 


This  well  and  favorably  known  citizen  of  Yonkers  has  had  an  eventful 
history,  and  when  he  was  less  than  a  score  of  years  old  he  had  struck  many  a 
blow  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union  and  the  country  under  whoses  stripes 
he  and  his  ancestors  for  several  generations  had  been  born.  The  loyal, 
devoted  patriotism  which  he  manifested  on  a  thousand  occasions  in  the  fore- 
front of  battle  has  been  shown  in  his  life  no  less  in  the  years  of  peace  which 
succeeded  the  years  of  dreadful  strife. 

Born  May  9,  1842,  J.  Wesley  Randall  is  a  son  of  Noah  and  Julia  (Moyer) 
Randall,  who  were  of  English  and  German  extraction,  respectively.  As  his 
father  died  when  our  subject  was  seven  years  of  age,  little  is  known  of  his 
family  history.  He  was  a  native  of  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts,  and  for 
many  years  was  a  resident  of  New  Haven,  Connecticut.  There  he  carried 
on  important  and  extensive  business  as  a  contractor,  furnishing  and  transport- 
ing heavy  stone  for  building  purposes.  He  died  at  the  age  of  forty-two 
years,  in  March,  1849.  To  himself  and  first  wife,  Thama,  three  children 
were  born, — Joseph,  Freeman  and  Julia;  and  by  his  marriage  to  Julia  Moyer 
there  were  three  children  also, — J.  W.,  Sarah  Brown,  and  Nellie,  the  wife 
of  William  Wilson,  of  Rochester,  New  York.  Mrs.  Julia  Randall,  who  was 
born  February  9,  1805,  died  June  9,  1897,  her  life  having  nearly  spanned  the 
wonderful  nineteenth  century.  Her  father,  Jacob  Moyer,  was  one  of  the 
generals  of  Washington's  body  guard  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and 
her  uncle,  George  Moyer,  served  in  the  war  of  1812-14.  The  brothers  were 
natives  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania.  Noah  and  Julia  Randall  were  active 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  the  latter  being  especially 
zealous  in  religious  affairs. 


^:^^...^ 


(i^^^'Z^ 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  785 

J.  Wesley  Randall  received  an  excellent  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  New  Haven,  and  when  about  fifteen  years  of  age  he  commenced  learning 
the  business  of  a  stationary  engineer.  Subsequently  he  took  a  position  oh 
the  Elm  City,  a  steamboat  plying  between  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  and 
New  York  city,  and  later  he  mastered  the  machinist's  trade. 

The  opening  year  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  young  Randall  enlisted 
in  the  First  Connecticut  Heavy  Artillery  for  a  period  of  three  years.  In 
Maryland  the  regiment  was  recruited  to  twelve  hundred  and  placed  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  Robert  O.  Tyler.  The  winter  of  1 86 1-2  they  were- 
encamped  on  Arlington  Heights,  and  their  first  active  fighting  was  at  the- 
siege  of  Yorktown.  After  the  battle  of  Hanover  Court  House  the  regiment 
was  moved  up  to  Fair  Oaks,  where,  failing  to  receive  expected  reinforce- 
ments, our  troops  fell  back,  retreating  for  seven  days,  until  at  Malvern  Hill 
they  made  a  desperate  stand  against  the  enemy.  While  thus  engaged,  in  the 
afternoon,  the  Cimeron,  a  Union  gunboat,  proceeding  along  the  James  river,, 
mistaking  the  federals  in  the  distance  for  rebels,  opened  fire  upon  them,  with 
disastrous  effect.  Mr.  Randall  was  lying  upon  the  ground,  firing  at  the  gray- 
coats,  when  a  nine-inch  shell  from  the  gunboat  struck  the  ground  near  his  feet, 
plowed  through  the  earth  under  him,  and  passing  beyond  burst  and  killed, 
four  of  our  brave  "boys  in  blue."  Wonderful  to  relate,  our  subject  was 
unhurt,  although  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  save  that  he  sustained  a  severe 
shock,  and,  accompanying  his  comrades,  fell  bark  with  the  troops  after  the 
battle  to  Harrison's  Landing.  He  became  seriously  ill  a  short  time  after  the 
engagement  at  that  point,  and  was  sent  to  Bellevue  Hospital,  New  York, 
where  he  was  discharged  on  account  of  physical  disability,  in  September,  1862. 

Coming  to  Yonkers  in  the  fall  of  1862,  Mr.  Randall  became  chief  engineer 
of  the  Star  Arms  Company,  and  October  15,  1863,  he  passed  an  examination  as 
an  engineer  in  the  government  naval  service,  and  was  appointed  second  assistant 
engineer  on  the  Tallapoosa,  under  Captain  DeHaven.  Some  time  afterward 
he  was  detached  from  the  Tallapoosa  and  ordered  aboard  the  monitor  Maho- 
pac,  which  participated  in  the  James  river  campaign  and  the  Fort  Fisher 
expedition  of  1864.  Their  first  assault  being  unsuccessful,  the  boat  retreated 
and  was  caught  in  a  fearful  storm  which  raged  along  the  coast,  and  had  it 
not  been  for  the  courage  and  intelligent  management  of  the  chief  engineer. 
Marshal!  T.  Cheevers,  all  on  board  must  inevitably  have  perished.  At  last 
the  monitor  safely  reached  Beaufort  harbor.  North  Carolina;  and  while  there 
Mr.  Randall  applied  to  Admiral  Porter,  who  was  in  command  of  the  fleet,  for 
a  detachment,  and  was  transferred  to  the  gunboat  Mackinaw,  on  which  vessel 
he  participated  in  the  second  and  successful  attack  upon  Fort  Fisher. 

After  the  capture  of  the  fort  the  fleet  was  re-formed  and  sent  up  the 
Cape  Fear  river  and  next  engaged  Fort  Anderson.     The  Mackinaw,  being  in 

50 


786  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

the  lead,  approached  to  a  point  near  the  fort  in  order  to  enable  gunners  to 
use  the  nine-inch  broadside  guns,  and  after  one  day's  severe  battle  the  fort 
was  captured.  The  fleet  next  proceeded  farther  up  the  river,  where  Fort 
St.  Philip  was  engaged,  and  in  the  contest  the  Mackinaw  took  no  small  part. 
Order  was  then  given  to  take  the  vessel  north  to  James  river,  which  it 
ascended  to  the  Appomattox  river  and  to  the  Point  of  Rocks,  and  here  the 
Mackinaw  was  moored  across  the  river  and  her  nme-inch  guns  trained  to 
support  General  Grant's  line;  after  the  battle  of  Petersburg  and  the  fall  of 
Richmond  the  vessel  was  ordered  north  to  the  Kittery  navy  yard,  New 
Hampshire,  where,  in  May,  1865,  she  went  out  of  commission. 

Mr.  Randall  returned  to  Yonkers,  where  he  was.  placed  on  waiting 
orders,  and  after  a  few  weeks  was  ordered  to  Washington  as  second  assistant 
engineer  of  the  United  States  steamer  Hornet,  the  pleasure  boat  of  Presi- 
dent Andrew  Johnson.  The  chief  executive  and  his  cabinet  started  down 
the  bay  July  4,  1865,  and  when  outside  of  Cape  Henry  a  high  wind  arose 
and  at  one  time  all  the  members  of  the  cabinet  were  seasick.  The  ship  was 
ordered  about  back  to  the  navy  yard  and  the  trip  was  not  resumed.  In 
September,  1865,  Mr.  Randall  tendered  his  resignation,  since  the  war  was 
over  and  he  thought  that  his  services  were  no  longer  needed. 

Though  his  connection  with  our  country's  navy  dates  back  many  years, 
Mr.  Randall  has  never  lost  his  intense  and  patriotic  interest  in  it,  and  has 
kept  up  many  of  the  friendships  'which  he  formed  among  the  officers  and 
crews  with  whom  he  came  into  association  during  the  stormy  period  of  the 
war.  With  just  pride  he  refers  to  the  bravery  and  genius  of  Robert  W. 
Milligan,  an  intimate  friend  of  his  over  thirty  years  ago,  who,  during  the 
recent  Spanish-American  war,  won  fame  at  Santiago.  He  was  the  chief 
engineer  of  the  Oregon,  which  ship  first  sighted  Cervera's  fleeing  fleet  and 
delivered  the  first  shot  in  the  memorable  combat.  It  was  owing  to  the  intel- 
ligence, foresight  and  determination  of  Mr.  Milligan  that  the  Oregon  was 
kept  under  a  full  head  of  steam  and  was  thus  prepared  for  the  notable 
chase,  resulting  in  complete  victory  on  our  side  and  undeniably  bringing 
about  the  speedy  termination  of  the  war.  Robert  W.  Milligan  and  J.Wesley 
Randall  were  assistant  engineers  together  on  the  United  States  steamer 
Mackinaw  in  1864-5. 

Mr.  Randall  has  a  warm  place  in  his  heart  for  the  boys  who  wore  the 
blue,  and  has  long  been  a  member  of  John  C.  Fremont  Post,  No.  590,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  Since  1867  he  has  been  identified  with  the  Rising 
Star  Lodge,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  For  some  time  after  his 
return  to  Yonkers  in  1865,  he  was  chief  engineer  for  the  Harlem  Chemical 
Works;  then  occupied  a  position  on  contract  with  the  Otis  Elevator  Works, 
and  from  187010  1883  was  employed   as  chief  engineer  in   the   Baldwin   & 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  787 

Flagg  Hat  Factory.  Since  1885  he  has  held  the  very  responsible  position  of 
chief  engineer  of  the  immense  buildings  of  the  O.  B.  Potter  estate,  including  the 
"sky-scraper  "  Potter  building  and  Empire  building,  in  New  York  city.  His 
business  office  is  at  No.  11 13  Empire  building,  and  he  not  only  attends  to 
the  employment  of  every  one  connected  with  the  running  of  these  buildings 
but  also  has  charge  of  all  repairs,  alterations  and  changes  required  by  the 
tenants  of  the  estate. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Randall  took  place  March  18,  1861,  when 
Miss  Mary  Palmer  became  his  wife.  She  died,  leaving  one  son,  Frank,  who 
is  now  a  prominent  dealer  in  real  estate  in  Minneapolis,  Minnesota.  On  the 
8th  of  June,  1865,  Mr.  Randall  married  Miss  Emma,  daughter  of  Edward 
Crisfield,  and  they  have  had  five  children,  namely:  Wallace,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  six  years;  Frederick  Eugene,  also  deceased;  Walter  Melville, 
who  died  when  three  years  old;  Edna  Estelle,  who  was  born  in  1875,  and 
is  now  the  wife  of  Milton  P.  Kaler,  of  Yonkers;  and  Warren  Lester,  who  is 
still  at  home  with  his  parents.  They  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church,  and  enjoy  the  friendship  of  a  multitude  of  acquaintances. 


FRANKLIN  HORTON. 


This  highly  esteemed  citizen  of  Yorktown  Heights,  Westchester  county, 
was  born  July  6,  1862,  and  is  the  son  of  William  and  Annette  (Purdy)  Hor- 
ton,  and  a  grandson  of  Henry  and  Ann  (Carow)  Horton.  He  occupies  and 
cultivates  the  farm  upon  which  he  was  born. 

The  Horton  family  were  early  in  this  county.  William  H.  Horton,  the 
father  of  Franklin,  is  now  of  Guthrie  Center,  Iowa,  and  was  at  one  time 
overseer  of  Ward's  Island  for  about  six  years.  He  was  born  and  raised  on 
the  old  Horton  Homestead  in  Yorktown.  His  father,  Harry  Horton,  was 
one  of  the  leading  men  in  that  township.  William  H.  married  Annette,  a 
daughter  of  Isaac  and  Hester  (Vail)  Purdy,  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
seven  years.  On  the  Vail  side  of  the  family  there  were  ancestors  who  took 
an  active  part  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  old  Vail  homestead,  located 
in  the  town  of  Somers,  was  owned  by  Isaac  Vail,  the  grandfather  on  the 
maternal  side,  and  was  known  at  an  early  day  as  Cortlandt  Manor.  The 
Purdy  family  also  has  long  been  established  and  favorably  known  in  this 
-county.  Mr.  Horton,  our  subject,  has  a  large  number  of  old  papers  handed 
down  to  him  dating  back  as  far  as  1700.  William  H.  Horton  had  three  chil- 
dren: Isaac  P.  and  Randolph,  both  of  Guthrie  county,  Iowa,  and  Franklin, 
who  is  the  subject  proper  of  this  sketch. 

Educated  in  the  public  schools  and  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  Mr. 
Horton  married  on  attaining  manhood  and  continued  to  make  his  home  on 


788  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

the  old  place,  attending  the  crops  and  flocks,  and  adding  both  to  his  business 
and  his  friendships.  He  has  a  property  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  acres, 
which  is  well  situated  and  brings  him  a  neat  income.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Julia  Hahn,  was  a  native  of  this  county  and  the  daughter  of  Paul 
and  Paulina  Hahn;  her  father  is  deceased. 

Mr.  Horton  is  an  enthusiastic  Democrat,  taking  an  active  part  in  poli- 
tics. For  a  time  he  had  the  position  of  inspector  of  streams  of  Westchester 
county  in  the  department  of  public  works  of  New  York  city;  was  gate-keeper 
in  the  Grand  Central  Railroad  depot  in  New  York  city  for  three  years,  and 
was  appointed  gate-keeper  at  the  Amawalk  reservoir  on  August  lo,  1898.  He 
is  well  and  favorably  known  in  this  county. 


JACKSON  YOUNG. 


Jackson  Young,  for  many  years  a  leading  representative  of  the  agricultural 
interests  of  Westchester  county,  was  born  in  New  Castle,  October  12,  1815, 
and  died  in  Mount  Kisco,  January  30,  1891.  His  parents  were  John  and 
Sarah  (Carpenter)  Young,  both  uatives  of  Sing  Sing.  His  father,  who  was 
born  January  5,  1782,  died  April  13,  1838,. and  his  mother,  whose  birth 
occurred  July  15,  1789,  passed  away  September  15,  1829.  Mr.  Young  was 
an  enterprising  and  practical  farmer  and  an  honest,  upright  man  who  was 
recognized  as  a  leader  in  the  community  in  which  he  resided.  Both  he  and 
his  wife  were  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  as  were  their  respective 
families.  They  had  eleven  children:  Mary,  who  was  born  September  22,. 
1807,  and  died  August  26,  1829;  Deborah,  born  March  25,  1809,  and  died 
February  2,  1899;  Eliza  R.,  who  was  born  September  23,  1810,  and  died 
February  27,  1840;  Emeline  M.,  who  was  born  February  14,  1812,  and  died 
January  7,  1891;  De  Witt  C. ,  who  was  born  October  2,  1813,  and  died  March 
10,  1889;  Jackson,  who  was  born  October  12,  1815,  and  died  January  30, 
1 891;  Lydia  R.,  who  was  born  October  12,  18 17,  and  died  April  i,  1847; 
Asa  W.,  who  was  born  April  30,  1820,  and  died  August  28,  1898;  Jessie  C, 
who  was  born  September  i,  1822,  and  died  April  21,  1875;  John  W. ,  bom 
March  28,  1824,  and  died  November  17,  1897;  and  Harrison,  who  was  born 
February  2,  1826,  and  died  January  6,  1859. 

Jackson  Young,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  was  reared  in  the 
town  of  New  Castle,  near  Sing  Sing,  and  when  a  young  man  went  to  New 
York  city,  where  for  twenty  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  grain  business,, 
meeting  with  gratifying  success  in  his  undertaking.  He  then  returned  to 
Westchester  county  and  made  his  home  in  Mount  Kisco  until  his  death,  devot- 
ing his  energies  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  followed  practical  and  progress- 
ive methods  of  farming,  and  his  richly  cultivated  fields  yielded  to  him  a  goldea 


/^ 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  789 

return  for  the  care  and  labor  bestowed  upon  them.  He  also  possessed  excel- 
lent business  and  executive  ability,  and  his  capable  management  was  an 
important  element  in  his  success. 

February  14,  1846,  Mr.  Young  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Julia  A. 
Putney,  a  daughter  of  Jeremiah  Putney,  who  was  born  in  Westchester  county, 
April  7,  1788.  Five  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackson  Young, 
namely:  Rockwell,  born  September  12,  1850;  C.  P.,  who  is  engaged  in  busi- 
ness with  his  brother  Rockwell  at  White  Plains;  E.  E.,  who  is  conducting  a 
clothing  store  in  Peekskill;  A.  W.,  a  lumber  merchant  of  Mount  Kisco;  and 
George  W.,  proprietor  of  a  clothing  store  in  Middletown,  New  York. 

The  members  of  the  young  family  were  originally  advocates  of  the  Whig 
party,  and  on  its  dissolution  became  Republicans.  Jackson  Young  was  a 
stalwart  advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  latter  organization,  but  never  sought 
or  desired  office,  preferring  to  devote  his  energies  to  his  business  interests. 
He  was  a  man  of  strong  will,  of  great  energy  and  of  strict  adherence  to  a 
course  which  he  believed  to  be  right,  and  commanded  the  respect  of  all  with 
whom  he  came  in  contact. 

ROCKWELL  YOUNG. 

Rockwell  Young,  who  is  actively  connected  with  the  business  interests 
of  White  Plains,  as  a  dealer  in  lumber,  builders'  materials,  coal  and  feed, 
was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York,  in  1850,  and  is'the  oldest  son  of  Jackson 
and  Julia  A.  (Putney)  Young,  whose  sketch  precedes  this.  He  spent  the 
■first  nine  years  of  his  life  in  the  metropolis  and  then  accompanied  his  parents 
on  their  removal  to  Mount  Kisco.  As  the  days  of  his  childhood  and  youth 
passed,  he  occupied  a  portion  of  his  time  by  mastering  the  branches  of  learn- 
ing taught  in  the  private  schools  and  in  the  Bedford  Academy.  In  1871  he 
left  home  and  entered  upon  an  independent  business  career  as  a  partner  in 
the  firm  of  Young,  Tripp  &  Company,  of  White  Plains,  dealers  in  coal  and 
builders'  materials.  He  was  connected  with  that  house  for  fifteen  years, 
when,  in  1886,  he,  with  Jackson  Young,  purchased  the  property  of  Charles 
Wiegand  and  established  his  present  business,  soon  after  forming  a  partner- 
ship with  his  brother,  Cornelius,  under  the  firm  style  of  R.  Young  &  Brother. 
They  have  built  up  a  large  and  profitable  business.  Their  lumber  yard  is 
situated  on  Railroad  avenue,  at  the  Harlem  Railroad  crossing,  where  they 
have  extensive  sheds  for  the  protection  of  their  lumber  and  coal.  They  now 
enjoy  a  large  and  constantly  increasing  patronage,  and  are  business  men  of 
prominence,  sustaining  an  unassailable  reputation  for  honorable  dealing  in 
trade  circles.  Mr.  Young  is  one  of  the  founders  and  trustees  of  the  Home 
Savings  Bank  at  White  Plains;  also  one  of  the  promoters  and  trustees  of 
the  White  Plains  Building  and  Loan  Association,  and  a  member  of  the  board 


790  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

of  directors  of  the  Central  Bank  of  Westchester  County,  White  Plains,  the 
oldest  bank  in  this  section. 

On  the  2Sth  of  October,  1876,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Young  and  Miss  Matilda  A.  Mathews,  daughter  of  John  H.  Mathews,  of 
Mount  Kisco,  New  York,  and  they  now  have  two  children, — Edna  J.  and 
Mabel  E.  In  his  political  views  concerning  the  national  policy  Mr.  Young  is 
a  Republican  and  keeps  well  informed  on  the  issues  of  the  day.  He  has 
served  for  one  term  as  alderman  of  the  village  of  White  Plains,  and  is  a  pub- 
lic-spirited citizen  who  takes  a  commendable  and  active  interest  in  the  vari- 
ous measures  and  movements  calculated  to  benefit  the  community. 


ASA  W.  YOUNG. 


Asa  W.  Young,  the  son  of  Jackson  Young  and  the  leading  lumberman 
of  Mount  Kisco,  was  born  in  New  York  city  January  25,  1859,  attended  the 
schools  of  Mount  Kisco,  where  his  father  moved  when  he  was  a  child,  and 
also  the  Albany  Business  College.  Upon  leaving  college  he  entered  the 
employ  of  S.  H.  Weeks,  a  lumberman  at  Mount  Kisco  as  bookkeeper,  and 
after  two  years  he  purchased  the  hardware  business  and  formed  the  firm  of 
Young,  Ganum  &  Smith,  and  had  a  store  at  Mount  Kisco  and  one  at  Bruster, 
New  York.  This  business  continued  for  four  years,  when  he  sold  his  interest 
in  that  enterprise  and  bought  the  location  of  the  Seller  estate  and  the  lumber 
business  of  A.  G.  Carpenter,  the  office  and  yards  of  which  were  on  the  site. 
He  conducted  the  business  for  five  years  and  then  admitted  W.  I.  Halstead 
as  a  partner  and  has  since  engaged  in  the  management  of  the  firm  of  Young 
&  Halstead,  and  they  have  a  large  business  in  lumber,  grain  and  coal,  and 
all  kinds  of  building  materials. 

Mr.  Young  is  a  successful  business  man,  and  has  always  taken  an  active 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  village.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  member  of  Kisco  Lodge,  No.  708,  of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  In 
1885  he  married  Miss  Mary  E.  Moger,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Moger,  and 
granddaughter  of  the  late  David  Moger,  who  was  a  prominent  landmark  in 
that  section  for  many  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young  attend  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  are  leading  young  people  in  the  society  of  Mount 
Kisco.  He  is  a  very  popular  citizen,  and  this  fact  attests  his  intelligence  and 
business  integrity. 

CAPTAIN  JOHN  I.   STORM. 

A  prominent  and  representative  citizen  of  Peekskill,  Captain  John  Isaac 
Storm  is  now  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Republican  party  in  Westchester 
county,  his  large  acquaintance  and  unbounded  popularity  giving  him  an  in- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  791 

fluential  following,  while  his  shrewd  judgment  of  men  and  affairs  makes  his 
counsel  of  value  in  all  important  movements.  In  business  circles  he  has  also 
taken  a  foremost  rank,  and  for  many  years  was  identified  with  river  transpor- 
tation, his  success  being  all  the  more  notable  from  the  fact  that  it  has  been 
secured  by  his  own  judicious  management. 

The  Captain  is  descended  from  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  prominent 
Westchester  county  families, — one  that  was  well  represented  in  the  war  for 
independence.  He  traces  his  ancestry  back  to  Dirck  Storm,  who  came  from 
Utrecht,  Holland,  to  Harlem,  New  York,  in  1662.  The  arms  of  the  family 
were  a  field,  a  ship  at  sea  under  a  storm:  crest  the  helmet  of  a  knight,  visor 
closed  affronte  and  surmounted  by  eagle's  wings;  motto,  Vertrov^Tt  (in  God  we 
trust).  Riker  in  his  history  of  Harlem  says  that  '•  Dirck  Storm  sailed  from 
Amsterdam  September  2,  1662,  with  his  wife,  Marie  Pieters,  and  three  sons, 
Gregoris,  Peter  and  David.  In  1670  he  was  secretary  of  Brooklyn  and  after- 
ward for  some  years  town  clerk  at  Flatbush;  was  clerk  of  the  session  for 
Orange  county  in  1691,  and  in  1697  he  and  his  family  were  living  on  Philipse 
manor,  where  his  descendants  became  numerous  and  noted."  In  1699  David 
Storm  was  chosen  one  of  the  deacons  of  the  old  Dutch  church,  and  afterward 
served  several  terms  as  elder.  In  1730  Thomas  Storm  was  collector  of  the 
manor.  In  fact,  the  Storm  family  was  very  prominent  in  the  early  days  in 
this  vicinity.  Nicholas  Storm,  Sr. ,  by  his  first  wife,  Rachel,  had  three  chil- 
dren, namely:  Abraham,  Elizabeth  (wife  of  Cornelius  Van  Tassel),  and 
Isaac.  For  his  second  wife  he  married  Maritje  Dutcher,  daughter  of  Johannis 
Dutcher,  and  to  them  were  born  the  following  children:  Maritje;  Rachel, 
wife  of  Isaac  Van  Wart,  one  of  the  captors  of  Major  Andre;  and  Nicholas,  Jr. 
Nicholas  Storm,  Sr. ,  lived  in  the  present  town  of  Elmsford,  his  house  being 
located  on  the  site  of  the  present  hotel  at  that  place.  He  was  a  stanch 
patriot  and  his  name  was  enrolled  among  the  militia  of  the  manor.  His  son 
Abraham  was  for  a  short  time  captain  of  the  Tarrytown  company,  was  major 
of  the  first  regiment  of  minute  men,  and  a  member  of  the  committe  of  public 
safety  in  iyy6-j.  He  lived  at  his  first  place  in  Elmsford,  then  known  as 
Storm's  Bridge.  His  will,  dated  April  4,  1792,  gave  in  addition  to  bequests 
to  his  wife,  and  to  the  son  of  his  brother,  Nicholas  Storm,  the  sum  of  fifteen 
pounds  to  the  old  Dutch  church,  by  the  sale  of  a  slave,  Sam,  the  balance  of 
the  proceeds  of  said  negro  to  go  to  his  sister,  Catharine  De  Voos. 

Nicholas  Storm,  Jr.,  was  born  on  Philipse  manor,  in  the  present  town 
of  Greenburg,  November  20,  1756,  and  resided  upon  the  farm  now  occupied 
by  Mrs.  Decker,  who  is  one  of  his  descendants.  In  the  Revolutionary  war 
he  took  up  arms  against  the  mother  country,  and  in  his  application  for  a 
pension,  dated  March  27,  1838,  says  that  he  entered  the  service  in  July, 
1776,  in  Captain  William  Dutcher's  company,   and  was  stationed  at  Tarry- 


792  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

town  for  a  term  of  six  weeks.  In  October  he  again  enlisted  in  the  same 
company,  and  for  a  time  was  stationed  at  Throgg's  Neck;  in  January,  1778, 
he  again  enlisted  in  that  company, — all  of  which  were  at  that  time  in  service; 
and  in  May,  1779,  he  served  under  Captain  Daniel  Martling.  He  died  May 
28,  1835,  in  his  seventy-ninth  year.  His  widow,  Mrs.  Leaney  Storm,  in  her 
application  for  a  pension,  February  18,  1837,  says  she  was  married  on  the 
19th  of  December,  1778,  at  Bedford,  New  York.  She  passed  away  in  1844, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-three. 

The  paternal  grandparents  of  our  subject  were  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Jewell)  Storm,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  at  Irvington  on  the  Hudson. 
The  great-gra'ndfather,  who  also  bore  the  name  of  John,  was  carried  from  his 
home  near  Dobbs  Ferry  to  the  old  sugar-house  prison  at  New  York  in  the 
early  part  of  the  Revolution,  and  on  his  way  home  died  from  poison,  prob- 
ably administered  there.  Isaac,  Jeremiah  and  Thomas  Storm,  soldiers  of 
the  French  and  Indian  war  from  the  manor,  and  the  late  General  Henry 
Storm,  of  Tarrytown,  belonged  to  the  same  family.  When  the  Continental 
army  lay  at  White  Plains,  in  October,  1776,  General  Schuyler  made  his 
headquarters  at  the  home  of  Nicholas  Storm,  Sr. ,  and  an  old  colored  woman 
belonging  to  the  family  used  often  to  tell  how  he  powdered  his  hair. 

Captain  John  I.  Storm's  parents  were  Jacob  and  Mary  (Ferris)  Storm. 
The  father,  also  a  native  of  Irvington  on  the  Hudson,  was  a  highly  respected 
and  honored  citizen  of  his  community,  was  widely  known  for  his  generosity 
and  kindness  of  heart,  and  was  a  consistent  Christian  gentleman,  serving  his 
church  as  elder  for  forty  years;  he  was  also  a  strong  anti-slavery  advocate. 
He  was  the  founder  of  Sleepy  Ho'low  cemetery  and  for  many  years  served 
as  its  superintendent. 

On  the  maternal  side  Captain  John  I.  Storm  is  a  lineal  descendant  of 
Captain  Oliver  Ferris,  who  was  born  in  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  November 
22,  1753.  He  was  a  son  of  Josiah,  through  John,  Jr.,  and  John  was 
descended  from  Jeffrey  Ferris,  the  progenitor  of  the  family  in  America. 
Oliver  Ferris  was  married  February  10,  1776,  to  Abigail,  daughter  of  Enos 
Lockwood,  by  the  Rev.  Blackleach  Burritt,  who,  on  the  17th  of  the  follow- 
ing June,  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  British  and  incarcerated  in  the  old  sugar- 
house  prison,  on  account  of  his  stanch  patriotism.  Captain  Ferris  did  good 
service  in  the  Connecticut  militia,  and  the  records  of  the  pension  office  at 
Washington,  D.  C. ,  show  that  he  enlisted  May  10,  1775;  was  in  the  expedi- 
tion to  Canada  under  General  Montgomery;  was  in  Colonel  John  Mead's  reg- 
iment from  August  14  Jo  September  25.  1776;  in  Colonel  Wooster's  regiment 
in  1777;  was  quartermaster  in  Colonel  Mead's  regiment  in  1778;  was 
appointed  commander  of  the  war  vessel  Wakeman  March  9,  1779;  and  was 
commissioned  brigade  quartermaster  of  the  Fourth  Brigade  of  the  militia  of 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  793 

Connecticut  July  4,  1781.  After  the  Revolution  he  came  to  Tarrytown,  New 
York,  and  purchased  the  historic  Major  Van  Tassel  place,  the  date  of  trans- 
fer being  March  31,  1802.  He  died  August  17,  1825,  and  ten  years  later  his 
son,  Benson  Ferris,  Sr. ,  sold  the  homestead,  comprising  ten  acres,  to  Wash- 
ington Irving,  who  rebuilt  it  and  gave  it  the  title  of  Wolfert's  Roost.  His 
grandson,  Benson  Ferris,  Jr.,  son  of  Benson,  Sr. ,  was  born  there.  The 
Captain's  widow  applied  for  a  pension  February  18,  1837. 

Captain  John  L  Storm  was  born  in  Tarrytown  on  the  Hudson,  February 
15,  1838,  and  his  elementary  education  was  acquired  in  the  schools  at  that 
place.  Soon  after  attaining  his  majority  he  went  to  Washington,  D.  C, 
where  he  entered  the  employ  of  Smull  &  Sons,  dealers  in  hides  and  fat,  as 
superintendent,  in  which  capacity  he  remained  with  the  firm  for  some  time. 
He  then  returned  to  Tarrytown,  and  was  in  the  office  of  the  provost  marshal, 
Captain  W.  W.  Pierson,  for  a  short  time.  In  July,  1865,  he  entered  the 
service  of  the  Lower  Hudson  Steamboat  Company  as  clerk  on  board  the 
steamer  Sleepy  Hollow,  and  after  two  years  spent  in  their  employ  was  made 
captain  of  the  steamer  General  Sedgwick,  running  between  Grassy  Point  and 
New  York  city.  From  this  time  forward  he  was  more  or  less  interested  in 
freight  transportation  on  the  Hudson,  and  in  1870  came  to  Peekskill,  where 
he  purchased  the  Peekskill  freight  line,  running  between  that  point  and  New 
York  city.  In  this  undertaking  he  met  with  well  deserved  success,  and  con- 
tinued his  connection  with  the  same  until  1878.  Subsequently  he  was  identi- 
fied with  the  various  enterprises  at  Peekskill  and  Tarrytown,  and  in  1885—6 
was  interested  in  the  Newburg  Steamboat  Company,  being  captain  of  their 
steamer,  James  T.  Brett,  for  two  years. 

After  severing  his  connection  with  the  transportation  business,  Captain 
Storm  commenced  giving  considerable  attention  to  political  and  public  affairs. 
In  March,  1888,  he  was  nominated  and  elected  by  his  party  as  a  member  of 
the  board  of  trustees  of  the  village  of  Peekskill,  in  which  capacity  he  served 
for  three  years.  In  1889  he  was  nominated  by  the  Republican  convention  in 
Westchester  county  for  the  office  of  register,  and  after  a  hotly  contested  cam- 
paign was  elected,  and  in  that  capacity  also  he  served  for  three  years,  with 
promptness  and  fidelity.  He  was  elected  president  of  the  village  of  Peeks- 
kill  in  March,  1899.  He  is  deeply  interested  in  public  affairs  and  the  good 
of  the  community  where  he  has  so  long  resided.  He  is  genial,  courteous, 
enterprising  and  progressive,  of  a  commendable  public  spirit  and  of  the  high- 
est integrity,  reflecting  great  credit  on  the  community  which  has  honored  him 
in  the  highest  office. 

On  January  27,  1876,  Captain  Storm  was  married  to  Miss  Georgene  Hal- 
stead,  a  daughter  of  George  P.  and  Elizabeth  (Carpenter)  Halstead,  and  by 
that   union   there  was  one   child,  named  Winnefred,  now  a  student  at  the 


794  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Ossining  Seminary.  The  wife  and  mother  died  February  14,  1894,  and  the 
Captain  was  again  married  November  10,  1896,  his  second  union  being  with 
Georgiana  Haight,  daughter  of  Henry  L.  and  Mary  (Wildey)  Haight.  Her 
maternal  great-grandfather,  Thomas  Wildey,  was  a  soldier  of  the  Conti- 
nental army  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  White 
Plains. 

DWIGHT  S.   HUBBELL. 

Ceaselessly  to  and  fro  flies  the  deft  shuttle  which  weaves  the  web  of 
human  destiny,  and  into  the  vast  mosaic  fabric  enter  the  individuality,  the 
effort,  the  accomplishment  of  each  man,  be  his  station  the  most  lowly  or  one 
of  pomp  and  power.  Within  the  textile  folds  may  be  traced  the  line  of  each 
individuality,  be  it  the  one  that  lends  the  sheen  of  honest  worth  and  honest 
endeavor,  or  one  that,  dark  and  zigzag,  finds  its  way  through  warp  and  woof, 
marring  the  composite  beauty  by  its  blackened  threads,  ever  in  evidence  of 
the  shadowed  and  unprolific  life.  Into  the  great  aggregate  each  individuality 
is  merged,  and  yet  the  essence  of  each  is  never  lost,  be  the  angle  of  its  influ- 
ence wide-spreading  and  grateful,  or  narrow  and  baneful.  He  who  essays 
biography  finds  much  of  profit  and  satisfaction  when  he  would  follow  out  the 
tracings  of  a  life  history,  seeking  to  find  the  key-note  of  each  respective  per- 
sonality, as  one  generation  succeeds  another.  The  subject  of  this  review  stands 
as  a  representative  of  old  and  honored  families  of  English  lineage,  and  in  trac- 
ing the  genealogy  the  record  is  one  which  bespeaks  the  unblotted  scutcheon 
and  lives  significant  of  honor  and  usefulness  in  the  various  relations  thereof. 

Dwight  S.  Hubbell,  the  popular  and  efficient  deputy  postmaster  at  White 
Plains,  Westchester  county,  is  a  native  of  Connecticut,  having  been  born  in 
the  city  of  Bridgeport  on  the  24th  of  November,  1853,  the  son  of  Levi  H.  and 
Caroline  (McEwan)  Hubbell.  The  father  was  born  in  Derby,  Connecticut, 
of  English  parentage.  He  was  an  undertaker  by  profession  and  was  engaged 
in  this  line  of  enterprise  at  Bridgeport  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
August  3,  1887,  when  he  had  attained  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  He  was 
at  one  time  a  member  of  the  state  militia  of  Connecticut,  and  in  his  political 
proclivities  was  a  Jeffersonian  Democrat  and  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  princi- 
ples implied.  In  religion  he  clung  to  the  faith  of  his  fathers,  who  had  been 
communicants  of  the  established  church  in  England,  and  was  himself  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church.  His  devoted  wife 
passed  away  in  1892,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  Of  their  four  children 
three  are  now  living:  Mrs.  Mary  G.  Mays,  of  White  Plains,  New  York;  Harris 
B.,  of  Park  Ridge,  New  Jersey;  and  Dwight  S.,  subject  of  this  sketch.  The 
deceased  daughter  was  Alice  G.,  who  became  the  wife  of  W.  E.  Phillips. 

Dwight  S.    Hubbell  received  his    educational  discipline   in  the    public 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  795 

schools  of  his  native  city,  and  such  was  his  interest  in  and  devotion  to  his- 
studies  that  he  was  enabled  to  graduate  in  the  high  school  at  the  early  age 
of  sixteen  years,  His  initial  efforts  in  connection  with  the  practical  affairs 
of  life  were  made  by  his  securing  a  clerkship  in  a  mercantile  establish- 
ment, where  he  remained  for  some  time,  gaining  excellent  ideas  in  regard 
to  general  business  operations.  In  the  year  1873  the  young  man  came  to 
Westchester  county.  New  York,  to  accept  the  position  of  deputy  postmas- 
ter at  Mount  Vernon,  under  the  incumbency  of  Andrew  Bridgeman,  in  whose 
grocery  the  postoffice  was  then  located.  In  this  capacity  at  Mount  Vernon 
Mr.  Hubbell  served  for  the  long  period  of  twenty-five  consecutive  years, 
being  deputy  in  turn  to  Postmasters  Bridgeman,  David  Quackenbush,  Colo- 
nel Henry  Huss  and  Clarence  S.  McClellan.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to- 
to  revert  to  the  fact  that  within  this  long  interval  there  had  been  a  constant 
expansion  of  the  business  of  the  office,  demanding  in  turn  more  intricate  and 
important  service  on  the  part  of  the  officials  in  charge,  and  implying  a  con- 
stantly increasing  knowledge  of  the  details  of  the  postal  service.  The  official 
reports  of  the  department  accord  to  the  Mount  Vernon  postoffice  one  of  the 
best  records  in  the  state,  and  it  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  this  came  as  the 
directresult,  in  no  small  measure,  of  the  efficient  services  of  Mr.  Hubbell,  for 
his  service  had  been  consecutive  and  he  had  practically  assumed  the  major 
responsibility  of  the  practical  workings  of  the  office  during  his  protracted 
tenure  of  the  position  of  deputy. 

In  1898,  a  new  postmaster  being  appointed,  he  accepted  a  similar  posi- 
tion in  White  Plains  postoffice.  He  had  given  a  full  quarter  of  a  century  to 
work  and  the  improvement  of  the  service  of  the  Mount  Vernon  office.  How- 
ever, his  ability  in  the  line  was  so  widely  recognized  that  he  received  calls  to 
other  positions  of  similar  character,  and  he  soon  became  the  deputy  post- 
master of  White  Plains,  in  which  capacity  he  is  now  retained.  He  is  recog- 
nized as  an  authority  on  postoffice  matters,  and  his  advice  has  been  brought 
into  requisition  on  many  occasions,  while  he  has  frequently  been  called  upon 
by  the  department  to  superintend  the  establishment  of  branch  offices.  In  his 
work  he  has  been  signally  conscientious  and  painstaking,  of  which  no  better 
evidence  may  be  adduced  than  that  implied  in  the  statement  that  during  his 
twenty-five  years  of  service  in  the  Mount  Vernon  office  he  indulged  in  vaca- 
tions aggregating  in  all  only  ten  days,  certainly  a  record  almost  unprece- 
dented. As  a  citizen  and  a  man  he  enjoys  a  distinctive  popularity  and  holds 
the  respect  and  high  regard  of  all  who  know  him  or  his  efficient  services  and 
sterling  worth.  For  about  a  year  and  a  half  Mr.  Hubbell  conducted  an  agen- 
cy for  foreign  steamship  lines,  at  No.  20  East  First  street,  Mount  Vernon, 
but  the  exacting  demands  of  his  government  position  eventually  prompted 
him  to  abandon  all  extraneous  interests  of  a  business  nature. 


796  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Hubbell  was  solemnized  on  the  24th  of  June,  1874, 
when  he  was  united  to  Miss  Lottie  J.  Spalding,  daughter  of  Henry  Spalding, 
of  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  and  she  presides  with  gracious  refinement  over 
their  home,  which  is  now  in  White  Plains,  whither  they  removed  from 
Mount  Vernon,  where  Mr.  Hubbell  has'  property  interests,  including  an 
attractive  residence.  Mr.  Hubbell  is  a  communicant  of  Grace  church,  Prot- 
estant Episcopal,  at  White  Plains,  and  has  been  a  devoted  worker  in  the 
cause  which  it  represents.  Fraternally  he  holds  allegiance  to  Mount  Vernon 
Lodge,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  which  he  has  been  a  member 
since  1874.  His  popularity  and  prominence  in  the  order  is  manifest  from 
the  fact  that  he  has  been  chosen  as  grand  representative  of  his  lodge  to  the 
grand  lodge  of  the  state. 

J.  FRANCIS  CHAPMAN,  M.  D. 

One  of  the  most  exacting  of  all  the  higher  lines  of  occupation  to  which 
a  man  may  lend  his  energies  is  that  of  the  physician.  A  most  scrupulous 
preliminary  training  is  demanded,  and  a  nicety  of  judgment  little  understood 
by  the  laity.  Then,  again,  the  profession  brings  its  devotees  into  almost 
constant  association  with  the  sadder  side  of  life, — that  of  pain  and  suffering, 
— so  that  a  mind  capable  of  great  self-control  and  a  heart  responsive  and 
sympathetic  are  essential  attributes  of  him  who  would  essay  the  practice  of 
the  healing  art.  Thus,  when  professional  success  is  attained  in  any  instance, 
it  may  be  taken  as  certain  that  such  measure  of  success  has  been  thoroughly 
merited. 

Standing  under  the  light  of  a  life  and  character  like  that  of  the  late  Dr. 
Seth  Shove,  the  noble  man  and  eminent  physician,  whose  successor  he  is 
and  under  whose  able  preceptorage  he  prosecuted  his  technical  studies,  Dr. 
Chapman  could  not  do  other  than  hold  in  high  regard  the  calling  to 
which  he  has  devoted  his  life.  He  may  well  attribute  much  of  his  success 
to  the  one  who  was  indeed  a  father  to  him,  in  more  than  the  mere  relation- 
ship by  marriage  implies, — to  Dr.  Shove,  whose  name  is  revered  in  the 
community,  and  who  laid  down  the  burden  so  long  and  willingly  borne,  be- 
queathing to  his  son-in-law  the  carrying  on  of  the  work  he  thus  resigned  at 
the  close  of  a  long  and  useful  life. 

A  prominent  and  successful  physician  of  Katonah,  Westchester  county', 
New  York,  Dr.  J.  Francis  Chapman  was  born  at  East  Pepperell,  Massachu- 
setts, on  the  23d  of  July,  1844,  the  son  of  Elias  and  Harriet  E.  (Tarbell) 
Chapman,  the  former  of  whom  is  still  living  at  Pepperell,  at  the  venerable 
age  of  eighty-five  years,  the  mother  having  entered  into  eternal  rest  on 
March  1 1,  1878.  The  Doctor  traces  his  lineage  on  either  side  to  stanch  old 
Revolutionary  stock,  while  representatives  of  both  family  lines  participated 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  797 

in  the  war  of  1812  and  the  Mexican  war.  He  was  one  of  three  children, 
and  we  may  here  note  that  his  brother,  Henry  A.,  who  was  formerly  a  suc- 
cessful teacher  in  his  native  town  for  more  than  twenty  years  and  merchant 
during  later  years,  died  suddenly  at  the  old  home  on  the  7th  of  October, 
1898;  and  that  his  sister,  Eliza  J.,  is  the  wife  of  H.  T.  Lawrence,  a  coal 
merchant  of  Boston. 

Until  he  was  about  twenty  years  of  age  Dr.  Chapman  remained  at 
the  parental  home  in  the  old  Bay  state,  receiving  his  preliminary  educational 
discipline  in  the  old  Pepperell  Academy.  His  parents  were  intelligent  Chris- 
tian people,  and  the  influence  of  the  early  home  training  has  had  an  abiding 
effect  upon  the  character  of  him  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  and  to 
the  memory  of  his  mother  and  to  his  venerable  father  he  accords  the  fullest 
measure  of  filial  thankfulness  and  honor.  He  was  scarcely  more  than  a 
mere  boy  when  his  patriotic  ardor,  inherited,  it  may  be,  from  his  Revolu- 
tionary sires,  prompted  him  to  go  forth  in  defense  of  the  nation  now  in  the 
midst  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  Late  in  1864,  he  served  in  the  quarter- 
master's department  of  the  Union  army  and  was  assigned  to  duty  with  the 
One  Hundred  and  Seventh  United  States  Infantry  (colored).  His  regiment 
served  until  after  the  war  closed,  its  members  being  mustered  out  in  the 
spring  of  1866,  having  been  for  a  number  of  months  assigned  to  garrison 
duty  at  the  forts  about  the  national  capital. 

Soon  after  his  discharge  from  the  army.  Dr.  Chapman  made  a  visit  to 
Vineland,  New  Jersey,  where  he  formed  the  acquaintance  of  Miss  Irene 
Shove,  daughter  of  Dr.  Seth  Shove,  previously  mentioned.  This  acquaint- 
anceship culminated  in  the  marriage  of  the  Doctor  to  Miss  Shove,  October 
10,  1866.  In  the  preceding  spring  he  had  taken  up  the  study  of  medicine 
with  Dr.  Shove,  who  had  advised  him  to  adopt  this  profession  as  his  life 
work.  He  continued  his  studies  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Shove  for  a  period 
of  three  years,  and  in  the  fall  of  1869  was  graduated  from  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons,  in  New  York  city,  having  the  distinction  of  winning 
the  class  medal  known  as  the  Harson  prize,  together  with  a  check  for  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  offered  as  a  reward  for  proficiency.  It  is  also  in- 
teresting to  note  that  Dr.  Chapman  at  this  time  received  honorable  mention 
for  his  graduating  thesis.  These  circumstances  all  indicate  most  clearly  the 
excellent  preliminary  training  he  had  received,  and  denote  as  well  that  he  had 
been  a  careful  and  able  student  of  the  science  in  which  he  was  later  to  attain 
honors  and  success.  After  his  graduation  he  became  associated  in  practice 
with  Dr.  Shove,  at  Katonah,  and  this  professional  alliance,,  strengthened  by 
the  strongest  bonds  of  mutual  respect,  affection  and  honor,  was  broken  only 
when  Dr.  Shove  was  called  upon  to  answer  the  inexorable  summons  of  death, 
in  1878. 


798  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Since  the  demise  of  Dr.  Shove  the  subject  of  this  review  has  continued 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession  and  has  ably  maintained  the  high  prestige 
gained  by  his  honored  preceptor  in  the  long  years  of  his  active  practice  in 
Westchester  county,  his  business  along  professional  lines  being  of  a  success- 
ful and  distinctly  representative  order.  Mrs.  Chapman,  whose  association 
from  earliest  childhood  had  been  that  of  a  physician's  home,  has  proved  to 
the  Doctor  an  able  coadjutor.  She  graduated  at  the  Wyoming  Seminary  in 
1865,  and  later  pursued  a  course  of  study  in  the  Women's  Medical  College, 
of  New  York,  thus  fitting  herself  to  aid  her  husband  in  his  work. 

Dr.  Chapman  became  a  member  of  the  State  Medical  Society  in  1872, 
having  previously,  in  1869,  become  identified  with  the  Westchester  County 
Medical  Society,  of  which  he  was  secretary  for  ten  years  and  president  for 
one  term.  He  has  maintained  a  lively  interest  in  the  society  and  its  v/ork, 
and  has  done  much  to  keep  the  organization  on  a  solid  foundation,  fully 
realizing  the  value  of  the  same  to  the  profession  of  the  county.  He  was 
appointed  a  member  of  the  Tarrytown  Board  of  Pension  Examiners  and 
served  during  the  administration  of  President  Harrison,  the  meetings  of  the 
board  being  held  at  Tarrytown.  This  appointment  was  conferred  without 
the  solicitation  or  knowledge  of  the  Doctor,  and  resulted  from  the  friendly 
intervention  of  the  late  Judge  Robertson,  who  was  his  intimate  friend  and 
associate,  and  whose  physician  he  was  for  many  years.  For  more  than  two 
years  Dr.  Chapman  has  been  an  attendant  of  the  New  York  Eye  and  Ear 
Infirmary,  and  he  is  making  this  department  of  his  profession  a  specialty, 
though  his  general  practice  is  one  of  very  wide  scope.  He  is  essentially  a 
student,  and  his  investigations  and  reading  are  prosecuted  with  unflagging 
^eal  and  earnestness,  so  that  he  is  at  all  times  in  line  with  the  latest  develop- 
ments in  the  sciences  of  medicine  and  surgery.  He  is  the  local  medical 
examiner  for  a  large  number  of  the  most  important  life-insurance  companies. 

In  his  political  proclivities  the  Doctor  champions  the  cause  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  of  which  he  is  a  stanch  adherent,  though  not  an  active  worker  in 
the  political  line.  He  is  public -spirited  in  his  attitude,  and  is  ever  ready  to 
lend  encouragement  and  aid  to  all  measures  which  have  for  their  object  the 
advancement  of  the  interests  of  the  community.  In  religion  he  is  an  earnest 
and  devoted  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Katonah,  and  is  recognized 
as  one  of  the  most  indefatigable  and  most  prominent  workers  in  the  local  soci- 
ety as  well  as  the  church  at  large.  He  was  one  of  the  little  band  who  aided 
in  organizing  the  church  in  Katonah,  and  through  the  devoted  efforts  of  the 
society,  which  at. the  time  numbered  but  eleven  members,  the  original  church 
edifice  was  built  and  the  present  fine  granite  edifice  is  being  erected  at  the 
village.  The  church  was  established  in  1872,  and  Dr.  Chapman  has  been  a 
member  of  its  board  of  ruling  elders  since  that  time,  and  is  now  president  of 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  799 

its  board  of  trustees.  He  was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  for  twelve 
years,  has  been  clerk  of  the  session  since  the  organization  of  the  church,  and 
a  frequent  delegate  to  the  Presbytery  of  Westchester.  In  the  present  year 
he  was  appointed  a  commissioner  to  the  General  Assembly  of  the  church, 
which  convened  at  Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  on  the  iSthof  May,   1899. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Chapman  have  two  sons:  Charles  Francis  Chapman,  M. 
D.,  of  Mount  Kisco,  this  county,  to  whom  specific  reference  is  made  on 
another  page  of  this  work;  and  Herbert  Shove  Chapman,  who  was  born  in 
1870,  and  is  in  the  auditing  department  of  the  North  British  &  Mercantile 
Insurance  Company,  of  New  York  city.  The  family  home  is  one  of  the 
attractive  domiciles  of  Katonah,  being  now  located  on  an  attractive  site  in  the 
new  town,  to  which  it  was  removed  from  the  older  section  of  the  village  in 
1898. 

WILLIAM  J.  BEAIRSTO. 

The  city  of  Yonkers  includes  among  its  leading  citizens  the  gentleman 
•whose  name  initiates  this  biographical  account, —  William  J.  Beairsto. 

He  was  born  at  Boston,  Massachusetts,  March  29,  1862,  son  of  Thomas 
and  Maria  (Quigley)  Beairsto,  and  in  him  is  a  mixture  of  French  and  Irish 
blood.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Johnston  Beairsto,  was  a  shipbuilder  by 
trade  and  was  born  in  Canada  East,  to  which  place  his  grandfather  had  emi- 
grated from  Paris,  France,  his  location  being  on  Prince  Edward  island.  The 
great-grandfather  of  our  subject  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Thomas  Beairsto  was  born  on  Prince  Edward  island,  November  10,  1832, 
and  for  some  years  he  was  a  shipbuilder  in  his  father's  employ.  Coming  to 
the  United  States,  he  located  in  Boston,  where  he  made  his  home  five  years, 
and  removed  thence  to  New  York  city,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  fertilizer 
business.  In  1865  he  came  to  Yonkers,  where  he  has  since  lived  and  is  now 
retired.  His  wife  died  in  1897,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  They  were 
the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  six  are  now  living,  namely:  Mrs.  Anna 
J.  Barton,  William  J.,  Ida  M.,  Thomas,  Joseph  and  J.  Albert. 

Joseph  Quigley,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  an  early  pioneer  of 
Boston,  having  come  to  the  United  States  in  1812-13.  His  father,  Joseph, 
was  a  leading  manufacturer  in  the  city  of  Dublin.  Joseph  Quigley,  Jr., 
engaged  in  the  importing  business  in  Boston,  and  later  as  a  contractor,  and 
as  such  he  was  very  successful.  He  died  in  1865,  leaving  a  widow  and 
children. 

William  J.  received  his  education  at  public  school  No.  6,  Yonkers, 
being  a  student  there  until  his  fourteenth  year.  Leaving  school,  he  entered 
upon  a  three-years  apprenticeship  to  the  carpenter's  trade,  making  a  spe- 
.■cialty  of  stair-building,  and  this  business  he  followed  from  1880  to  1889.    He 


800  WESTCHESTER   CI  UNTY. 

then  became  a  traveling  salesman  for  the  V  aterburg  Rubber  Company,  of 
New  York  city,  with  which  he,  has  since  be 'n  connected  in  that  capacity; 
also,  he  is  identified  with  other  business  enterprises.  He  has  an  interest  in 
the  McElroy  Smokeless  Furnace  Company,  of  49  Warren  street,  New  York 
city,  inventors  and  manufacturers  of  the  McElroy  Smokeless  Furnace,  the 
only  successful  smokeless  furnace  on  the  market.  Also  at  the  same  place  he 
is  interested  in  a  leather  business. 

Politically  Mr.  Beairsto  is  a  Republican  and  has  always  been  active  and 
efficient  in  promoting  the  interests  of  his  party,  frequently  serving  as  dele- 
gate to  various  Republican  conventions.  In  1898  he  was  made  deputy 
sheriff  of  Westchester  county.  For  eight  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Yonkers  fire  department  and  he  is  still  active  in  promoting  its  interests. 
Religiously  he  is  a  Roman  Catholic,  a  devout  member  of  St.  Joseph's 
church.  He  maintains  fraternal  relations  with  the  Red  Men,  Knights  of 
Pythias,  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  Commercial  Travelers'  Associa- 
tion and  Knights  of  Columbus. 

Mr.  Beairsto  was  married.  May  12,  1886,  to  Miss  Emma  Frances 
Crofut,  daughter  of  David  K.  Crofut,  of  Yonkers.  The  Crofut  family  have 
been  residents  of  Westchester  county  for  a  period  of  two  hundred  years. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beairsto  have  seven  children:  William  J.,  Jr.,  Emma  Mary,. 
Anna,  Joseph  A.,  Emma  Frances,  Frank  B.  and  David  E. 


ALVARO  JAMES  ADAMS. 


The  profession  of  law  is  honored  by  the  ability  and  integrity  of  the- 
Mount  Kisco  attorney  whose  name  appears  above.  He  is  a  native  of  Nassau, 
Rensselaer  county.  New  York,  born  January  3,  185 1,  and  was  reared  to- 
agricultural  pursuits  by  his  parents,  Hiel  and  Mary  (Newton)  Adams.  His 
father,  a  native  of  the  same  county,  passed  his  entire  life  there  as  farmer 
and  school-teacher,  dying  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  In  his  political 
views  he  was  a  Whig  and  Republican,  held  several  local  offices  and  was- 
active  in  the  public  affairs  of  his  town  and  county.  In  his  religion  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church.  His  father,  also  named  Hiel,  was  a  native 
of  the  same  county  and  a  farmer  all  his  life,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
1812.  He  passed  from  the  scenes  of  earth  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years. 
The  great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  Elijah  Adams,  was  an  officer  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  Heroic  patriotism  therefore  characterizes  the  ancestry 
of  Mr.  Adams.  All  his  ancestors  of  the  last  century — Adams,  Harris,  Garri- 
son and  Newton — indeed  were  strong  supporters  of  the  Revolution.  A  great- 
grandfather. Rev.  Ephraim  Harris,  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Germantown, 
using  a  musket  and  fighting  in  the  ranks   as   a  common  soldier,  was  also  a 


Tne  Le^/iT.:^' Pi_i.bl_iiihi-n  o   C 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  801 

chaplain  and  was  one  of  those  sufferers  who  passed  the  severe  winter  at  Val- 
ley Forge  with  Washington.  Among  Mr.  Adams'  ancestors  was  a  grand- 
mother named  Deborah  Garrison,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Ephraim 
Harris  and  wife  of  Daniel  Garrison. 

Mr.  Adams,  the  subject  of  this  brief  outline,  in  his  youth  attended  the 
common  schools  and  the  State  Normal  School  at  Albany.  At  the  early  age 
of  sixteen  years  he  began  teaching  in  the  district  schools.  In  1874  he  took: 
up  the  study  of  law  in  the  Albany  Law  School  and  graduated  in  1877,. 
immediately  after  which  he  opened  out  in  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profes- 
sion at  Sing  Sing,  in  partnership  with  Judge  Lent,  and  a  few  months  after-- 
ward  came  to  Mount  Kisco,  where  he  has  since  devoted  his  energies  to  his^ 
profession  with  that  success  that  is  due  to  capacity  and  integrity. 

In  his  political  principles  Mr.  Adams  is  a  stanch  Republican.      He  has- 
been  attorney  for  the  village  of  Mount  Kisco  and  the  town  of  New  Castle, 
and  he  now  has  charge  of  a  great  many  claims  of  the  people  against  the  New 
York  City  Watershed.      He  has  also  held  and  now  holds  the  office  of  school 
trustee,  and  was  instrumental  in  bringing  about  the  union  of  the  two  schooL 
districts. 

Mr.  Adams  is  a  member  of  Gratitude  Lodge,  No.  674,  F.  &  A.  M.,. 
of  Nassau,  New  York;  of  Buckingham  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  No.  174,  of 
Sing  Sing;  of  Westchester  Commandery,  No.  42,  K.  T. ;  of  Croton  Valley 
Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  of  Mount  Kisco,  and  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  same; 
of  Mount  Kisco  Council,  Jr.  O.  U.  A.  M. ;  and  Kisco  Council,  No.  1562, 
Royal  Arcanum.  In  respect  to  his  religious  views  we  may  state  that  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Emily  Bennett,  of  Albany  count}',.. 
New  York,  and  they  have  two  children, — Irene  B.  and  Alvaro  Justin. 


CHARLES  H.  MURRAY. 


The  names  of  those  who  have  come  down  to  us  through  history  from' 
remote  ages  are  largely  men  who  won  fame  through  military  prowess,  who  in 
war  and  conquest  gained  renown,  but  their  labors  were  always  to  a  greater  or- 
less  extent  attended  by  destruction  and  its  natural  sequence,  sorrow.  As 
civilization  has  advanced,  however,  those  who  have  gained  the  right  and  title 
to  have  their  names  enduringly  inscribed  on  the  bright  pages  of  history  are 
they  whose  efforts  have  resulted  to  the  general  good,  and  have  been  attended 
by  progress  and  improvement.  What  more  creditable  monument  could  stand 
to  the  memory  of  any  individual  than  a  beautiful  town  or  city, — a  place  of 
thriving  business  interests  and  the  home  of  a  prosperous,  contented  people. 
In  Larchmont,  Charles  H.  Murray  has  such  a  monument,  for  he  was  one  of. 

51 


802  M  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

the  founders  and  builders  of  this  village.  In  the  period  of  its  early  devel- 
opment, no  enterprise  or  interest  there  was  placed  on  a  substantial  founda- 
tion without  his  support,  and  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  an  active 
factor  in  its  welfare  and  upbuilding.  Thus  it  is  that  the  record  of  West- 
chester county  would  be  incomplete  without  the  sketch  of  Charles  H. 
Murray,  for  many  years  one  of  its  most  eminent  and  honored  citizens. 

A  native  son  of  the  Empire  state,  Charles  H.  Murray  was  born  in 
Albany,  on  the  19th  of  April,  1817,  and  there  spent  his  boyhood  days  and 
acquired  his  education.  He  began  his  business  career  as  clerk  in  a  store, 
where  he  remained,  gradually  working  his  way  upward  until  he  became  a 
partner  in  the  enterprise.  He  applied  himself  closely  to  his  business  inter- 
ests, and  his  honorable  dealings  and  courteous  treatment  of  his  patrons  made 
him  one  of  the  most  popular  merchants  of  the  city.  As  his  financial  resources 
increased,  Mr.  Murray  made  judicious  investments  in  real  estate  and  stocks, 
tnanifesting  superior  judgment  in  placing  his  capital,  and  thus  realizing  hand- 
some profits  thereon.  He  also  became  connected  with  the  banking  and 
'exchange  business  in  New  York  city,  and,  being  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary 
business  ability  and  sagacity,  he  made  money  rapidly.  This  came  from  a  close 
study  of  the  conditions  of  any  enterprise  with  which  he  was  connected,  so 
that  he  made  no  false  move  in  placing  his  capital  in  an  interest  whose  out- 
come was  uncertain.  He  could  judge  and  manage  men  exceptionally  well, 
and  his  own  unassailable  reputation  enabled  him  to  secure  the  confidence  and 
co-operation  of  others.  In  1871  he  cameto  Larchmont,  Westchester  county, 
and  purchased  a  plat  of  ground,  upon  which  he  erected  a  fine  and  substan- 
tial residence,  making  it  his  permanent  home  until  called  from  the  scene  of 
earth's  activities  in  1897.  From  that  time  forward  he  was  closely  identified 
with  the  growth  and  progress  of  the  village.  He  promoted  its  material  wel- 
fare through  the  organization  of  business  concerns,  which  added  to  the  com- 
mercial and  industrial  activity  of  the  town.  He  was  instrumental  in  organ- 
izing the  Larchmont  Water  Company,  and  established  a  very  complete 
system  of  water-works,  the  supply  of  water  being  brought  a  distance  of  four 
miles.  He  also  formed  the  Larchmont  Electric  Light  Company,  became  its 
heaviest  stockholder,  and  was  the  president  of  the  company  at  the  time  of 
his  death.  In  these  ways  he  materially  advanced  the  interests  of  the  village 
and  added  to  its  prosperity. 

In  1838  or  '9,  probably,  Mr.  Murray,  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Jessie  Conway,  and  to  them  were  born  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter: 
William,  now  a  prominent  resident  of  Larchmont;  and  Jessie,  wife  of  Walter 
S.  Neilson,  also  of  this  village.  Mr.  Murray  was  a  man  of  domestic  tastes 
and  found  his  chief  delight  in  the  pleasures  of  home.  The  Murray  house- 
hold was  always  noted  for  its  hospitality  and  his  friends  found  him  a  most 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  '  803 

entertaining  and  genial  host.  Mrs.  Murray  ably  seconded  her  husband  in  all 
his  social  efforts  and  her  sweet  womanly  qualities  endeared  her  to  all  who 
knew  her.  She  was  a  devoted  wife  and  mother,  an  earnest  Christian  woman, 
and  passed  away  in  1884,  Mr.  Murray,  however,  surviving  until  1897.  His 
life  was  indeed  well  spent.  In  his  accumulation  of  wealth  he  was  not  un- 
mindful of  the  interests  of  others,  and  was  ever  ready  to  encourage  young 
men  of  enterprise  and  to  extend  a  helping  hand  to  the  poor  and  needy.  He 
was  also  greatly  attached  to  his  church,  being  a  member  of  St.  John's  Epis- 
copal church,  of  Larchmont,  to  which  he  contributed  most  liberally.  He 
was  always  one  of  the  first  to  subscribe  for  the  support  of  any  movement 
calculated  to  advance  the  moral,  intellectual  or  material  welfare  of  his  town. 
In  politics  he  was  a  most  pronounced  Republican  in  national  and  state  mat- 
ters, but  voted  independently  of  parties  at  local  elections,  supporting  the  men 
whom  he  considered  best  qualified  for  the  office.  At  this  point  it  would  be 
almost  redundant  to  enter  into  any  series  of  statements  showing  Mr.  Murray 
to  have  been  a  man  of  broad  intelligence  and  genuine  public  spirit,  for  these 
have  been  shadowed  forth  between  the  lines  of  this  review.  He  was  a  man 
of  strong  individuality  and  broad  humanitarian  principles,  which  taken  in  con- 
nection with  his  rectitude  of  character  naturally  gained  to  him  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  men. 


WELLINGTON  LOUNSBURY. 

The  world  instinctively  pays  deference  to  the  man  who  has  achieved  suc- 
cess, overcoming  the  obstacles  in  his  path  until  he  has  reached  a  high  posi- 
tion in  the  business  world.  This  is  a  progressive  age  and  he  who  does  not 
advance  is  soon  left  far  behind.  Mr.  Lounsbury,  by  the  improvement  of 
■opportunities  by  which  all  are  surrounded,  has  steadily  and  honorably  worked 
his  way  upward  and  has  attained  a  fair  degree  of  prosperity.  He  makes  his 
home  in  Yorktown  township  and  owns  and  operates  the  Fowler  mill,  now 
known  as  the  Lounsbury  mill,  situated  on  Mill  Brook. 

He  was  born  in  Yorktown,  July  25,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  Ezra  and  Mary 
Ann  (Losee)  Lounsbury.  The  birth  of  the  former  occurred  in  the  town  of 
Somers,  Westchester  county.  The  grandfather,  Jesse  Lounsbury,  who  was 
of  Scotch  descent,  married  a  Miss  Flewellen,  who  belonged  to  an  old  West- 
chester county  family.  Both  died  in  Sullivan  county,  this  state.  Ezra 
Lounsbury  grew  to  manhood  in  Westchester  county,  and  wedded  Miss  Mary 
Ann  Losee,  who  was  born  in  Yorktown,  this  county,  a  daughter  of  Stephen 
A.  and  Martha  Losee,  representatives  of  an  old  Dutch  family.  After  his 
marriage  Mr.  Lounsbury  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  followed 
ior  over  thirty  years,  but  in   1874  purchased  the  mill  now  owned  by  his  son. 


804  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

the  subject  of  this  sketch,  WiUiam  Tompkins,  and  turned  his  attention  to 
the  operation  of  the  same.  He  was  a  Hfe-long  Republican  in  poHtics,  and 
both  he  and  his  wife  were  faithful  members  of  the  Baptist  church.  Ezra 
Lounsbury  died  June  27,  1897,  and  his  wife  Mary  Ann  Lounsbury  died  May 
10,  1899. 

Wellington  Lounsbury,  the  only  child  of  this  worthy  couple,  was  reared 
and  mainly  educated  in  this  county,  but  attended  the  Chappaqua  Mountain 
Institute  for  some  time.  Since  attaining  to  man's  estate  he  has  given  the 
greater  part  of  his  attention  to  milling  and  in  his  undertakings  has  been 
remarkably  successful.  Besides  his  mill  property  he  owns  a  fine  farm  of  one 
hundred  acres  in  Cortland  township,  and  three  dwelling-houses  in  Peekskill. 

On  the  29th  of  December,  1875,  Mr.  Lounsbury  led  to  the  marriage 
altar  Miss  Josephine  Clayton,  of  Roxbury,  Delaware  county,  New  York,  a 
daughter  of  John  Clayton,  deceased,  and  his  wife,  Sarah  (Baxter)  Clayton. 
Mrs.  Lounsbury  is  a  lady  of  refinement  who  has  received  a  liberal  education, 
and  both  she  and  her  husband  are  now  pursuing  the  work  of  the  Chautauqua 
Club  with  the  Shrub  Oak  class.  Mrs.  Lounsbury  is  a  member  of  the  York- 
town  Baptist  church.  They  give  their  support  to  all  enterprises  tending  to 
advance  the  educational  or  moral  welfare  of  the  community.  Genial  and 
pleasant  in  manner  they  stand  high  in  the  community  where  they  have  so 
long  made  their  home,  and  no  citizens  in  the  county  are  more  honored  or 
highly  respected. 


IRA  D.  STRANG. 


Among  the  representative  citizens  of  Westchester  county  is  the  gentle- 
man named  above,  who  was  born  on  the  old  Strang  homestead  in  this 
county,  March  22,  1851.  The  family  to  which  he  belongs  has  long  been 
associated  with  the  history  of  New  York  state,  and  was  originally  of  France, 
the  name  being  then  spelled  De  la  Strange.  The  paternal  grandfather 
of  our  subject  was  Nathaniel  Strange,  who  with  his  twelve  brothers 
and  sisters  grew  to  maturity  in  this  county.  Several  of  them  attained 
to  extreme  old  age,  one  dying  at  ninety-seven,  one  at  ninety-five  and  three 
at  ninety-one  years,  the  average  age  of  the  thirteen  being  eighty-five  years. 
Nathaniel  Strang  married  Miss  Lent,  whose  ancestors  also  were  early  set- 
tlers of  the  Empire  state. 

Daniel  Strang,  the  father  of  Ira  D.,  was  born  on  the  farm  since  owned 
and  occupied  by  his  son,  Albert  Strang,  M.  D.,  March  13,  1810.  The  house 
where  he  was  born  stood  at  the  east  of  the  present  one  and  across  the  road. 
His  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Philena  Lent,  of  Somers.  His  edu- 
cation was  that  of  many  of  his  contemporaries,  received  in  the  district  school 


^'z^-^^^^- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  805 

and  at  the  North  Salem  Academy.  His  early  life  was  spent  on  his  father's 
farm.  Later  he  purchased  the  Strang  homestead  on  Crompond  street  in 
Yorktown  township.  On  December  20,  1837,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Sarah  Jane,  daughter  of  Daniel  B.  and  Deborah  (Hoag)  Tompkins,  of 
Yorktown,  and  their  children  are:  Margaret,  who  died  in  infancy;  Mary 
Jane,  wife  of  Ebenezer  Wood,  Jr.,  of  South  Salem,  now  deceased;  Albert 
Strang,  M.  D. ,  of  Yorktown  township,  also  deceased;  and  Ira  D.,  our  sub- 
ject. Daniel  Strang  was  an  ardent  advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic party  and   for  some  years  served  as  supervisor  of  Yorktown  township. 

Albert  Strang,  M.  D,,  the  brother  of  Ira  D.,  was  born  in  Yorktown 
township,  October  13,  1843,  educated  at  the  district  school  and  College  Hill, 
Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  and  in  October,  1864,  entered  Bellevue  Hospital 
Medical  College  in  New  York  city  and  began  his  professional  studies  under 
the  preceptorship  of  Stephen  Smith,  M.  D.,  professor  of  anatomy  in  that 
institution,  and  graduated  in  1867,  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine. 
The  previous  year  he  had  been  a  junior  assistant  in  Bellevue  Hospital,  and 
in  October,  1867,  he  became  the  senior  assistant;  was  house  surgeon  in 
1867-8;  assistant  to  the  chair  of  descriptive  and  surgical  anatomy  in  Bellevue 
Hospital  Medical  College  in  1868-70;  and  health  inspector  in  the  health 
department  of  New  York  city  1869-71.  From  1864  to  1871  he  resided  in 
New  York  city.  In  1872  he  returned  to  Yorktown  and  began  a  successful 
career  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  On  September  2,  1868,  he  mar- 
ried Kate  Depew,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Martha  M.  Depew,  of  Peekskill, 
and  a  sister  of  Hon.  Chauncey  M.  Depew.  The  children  by  this  union  were 
Martha  Depew,  Elise  Hagaman  and  Mary  Jane.  Dr.  Strang  died  January 
24,   1888. 

Ira  D.  Strang,  whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  obtained  his  education  in 
private  schools  and  at  River  View  Academy  at  Poughkeepsie,  and  also  at 
Williston  Seminary,  at  East  Hampton,  Massachusetts.  Since  then  he  has 
made  his  home  in  Yorktown,  devoting  his  energies  to  the  management  of  his 
large  real-estate  interests,  conducting  also  a  very  successful  fire  and  life  msur- 
ance  business.  Ever  since  1883  he  has  been  identified  with  the  interests  of 
the  northern  portion  of  Westchester  county.  He  is  a  director  of  the  Peek- 
skill  Savings  Bank,  a  director  of  the  Peekskill  Clock  and  Novelty  Company, 
and  of  the  Poughkeepsie  Underwear  Factory,  and  from  a  financial  point  of 
view  is  considered  one  of  the  most  substantial  men  of  the  county.  He  casts 
his  ballot  in  favor  of  the  principles  and  nominees  of  the  Democratic  party 
and  represented  his  town  in  the  county  legislature  for  seven  years, — from 
1887  to  1894, — during  which  period  he  was  an  acknowledged  leader;  and  no 
supervisor  was  on  more  important  committees  or  did  more  faithful  service  to 
town   or  county,    managing  the   public  business  with  the   same    care  that 


806  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

attends   his   private  affairs.      Many   times   has  he  been  sent  as  a  delegate  to 
state  and  county  conventions  of  his  party. 

On  the  14th  of  October,  1874,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Katie  L.  Jacobs, 
of  Peekskill,  a  daughter  of  N.  S.  and  Caroline  Jacobs.  Their  only  child, 
Kate,  is  a  graduate  of  Lyndon  Hall  Seminary  at  Poughkeepsie  and  is  now 
living  in  the  paternal  mansion.  Her  mother  died  in  1878,  aged  twenty-five 
years.  In  1880  Mr.  Strang  wedded  Miss  Mary  B.  Fowler,  a  daughter  of 
George  B.  Fowler,  of  this  township,  and  by  the  latter  marriage  there  are 
two  children:  Arthur  F. ,  who  is  a  student  at  the  Mohegan  Lake  school;  and 
Florence,  who  died  in  1887,  at  the  age  of  four  years.  Mrs.  Mary  B.  Strang 
passed  to  the  invisible  world  September  17,  1894,  when  in  her  thirty-sixth 
year.  

JAMES  L.   TAYLOR. 

James  L.  Taylor,  the  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Dobbs  Ferry  Register, 
and  also  of  the  Hastings  Echo,  is  one  of  the  wide-awake,  enterprising  and 
progressive  men  of  this  village,  in  which  he  was  born  July  3,  1863.  His 
parents,  Thomas  and  Mary  (Higgins)  Taylor,  were  natives  of  the  Emerald 
Isle,  although  his  father  was  reared  in  Sheffield,  England,  whence  in  1840  he 
came  to  America.  He  located  in  the  city  of  New  York  and  worked  at  his 
trade,  that  of  mason.  In  1852  he  brought  his  family  to  Dobbs  Ferry,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  contracting  and  building,  constructing  principally  the 
foundations  and  walls  of  stores  and  dwellings  and  the  abutments  of  bridges. 
He  was  a  skilled  workman  and  much  of  his  work  is  still  in  evidence.  He 
died  September  14,  1864,  when  James  was  but  one  year  and  two  months 
old. 

Mr.  Taylor,  our  subject,  attended  the  public  schools  of  Dobbs  Ferry, 
where  he  received  his  primary  education.  He  was  of  a  studious  nature  and 
applied  himself  diligently  to  his  books  with  such  good  results  that  he  was 
a  graduate  of  the  school  when  but  seventeen  years  of  age.  After  finishing 
his  schooling  he  secured  a  position  in  the  office  of  Warner  D.  Hatch,  lith- 
ographer, where  he  remained  two  years,  when  he  was  offered  a  desk  in  the 
main  office  of  the  Continental  Insurance  Company,  also  of  New  York  city. 
So  faithfully  did  he  discharge  the  duties  of  his  position  that  he  was  promoted 
to  the  office  of  assistant  in  the  fourth  department,  under  the  late  Walter  E. 
Hope.  After  remaining  there  for  some  time  he  opened  a  branch  office  at 
Fifty-eighth  street  and  Third  avenue,  New  York,  known  as  Castello  &  Tay- 
lor, managers  of  the  Continental  Insurance  Company,  where  they  transacted 
considerable  business  for  the  company.  About  this  time  he  was  importuned 
by  Joseph  Stiner  &  Company  to  act  as  their  secretary,  and  severed  his  con- 
nections with  the  insurance  company  to  accept  their  offer,  remaining  in  their 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  807 

employ  two  years.  Returning  to  Dobbs  Ferry  in  1894  he  purchased  the 
Dobbs  Ferry  Register,  which  was  at  that  time  in  a  state  of  collapse.  He  at 
once  placed  a  good  foreman  in  charge,  while  he  devoted  his  time  to  the  busi- 
ness management  and  editorials,  and  soon  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  it  in 
a  prosperous  condition.  He  now  has  a  large  circulation,  making  it  a  most 
effective  medium  of  advertising,  a  fact  which  his  patrons  are  not  slow  in  tak- 
ing advantage  of.  The  Register  is  the  official  organ  of  the  Republican  party 
and  has  accomplished  a  great  deal  of  good,  as  Mr.  Taylor  possesses  great 
force  of  character,  is  zealous  and  ardent  in  whatever  he  espouses,  and  his 
example  and  the  precepts  given  in  his  forceful  way  through  his  paper  have 
contributed  greatly  toward  molding  public  sentiment.  He  is  fearless  in  his 
utterances  for  the  cause  of  honesty  and  good  government,  and  shrinks  from 
no  danger  in  upholding  the  view  he  considers  to  be  right.  Mr.  Taylor  has 
few  idle  minutes,  those  not  employed  on  his  paper  being  spent  in  writing 
insurance  or  looking  after  his  real  estate,  in  which  he  does  an  extensive 
business. 

He  was  married  June  4,  1885,  to  Miss  Rose  H.  Denning,  of  Long 
Island,  a  daughter  of  architect  James  and  Anna  (Clark)  Denning.  Their 
home  circle  is  brightened  by  the  presence  of  three  sons  and  four  daughters, 
and  a  visitor  iseure  of  a  cheerful  welcome.  Mr.  Taylor  is  the  president  of 
the  Republican  Club  of  Dobbs  Ferry,  secretary  of  the  Historical  Society  and 
a  trustee  of  the  church  of  the  Sacred  Heart.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Sixth 
District  Republican  Association,  the  New  York  State  Republican  Editorial 
Association,  Knights  of  Columbus  and  the  Catholic  Benevolent  Legion.  On  the 
30th  of  October,  1898,  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Dobbs  Ferry.  This  office 
has  felt  his  guiding  hand  and  the  service  has  improved  very  much,  many  new 
mails  having  been  added.  His  uniform  courtesy  in  the  discharge  of  his  offi- 
cial duties  have  made  him  so  popular  that  it  would  be  hard  to  find  a  successor 
who  would  fill  the  position  as  satisfactorily  as  the  present  incumbent. 
United  States  Senator  T.  C.  Piatt  and  the  county  organization,  through  Con- 
gressman William  L.  Ward,  were  unanimous  in  their  indorsement  of  his 
appointment  and  secured  confirmation  by  the  senate. 


CARSTEN  WENDT. 


Carsten  Wendt,  the  president  of  the  village  of  Larchmont,  was  born  in 
Germany,  but  received  his  education  in  Massachusetts.  Becoming  interested 
in  Larchmont  property,  he  identified  himself  with  its  interests,  helped  to 
incorporate  the  village  in  1891,  served  two  years  as  trustee  and  seven  years 
as  president,  which  position  he  now  holds.  His  management  of  the  village 
affairs  has  been  on  strict  business  principles.     He  served  for  seven  years  as 


808  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

president  of  the  board  of  education  of  the  Union  free  school  district  No.  i, 
of  the  town  of  Mamaroneck,  and  the  high-school  building  was  erected  during 
his  presidency. 

FRANCIS  P.  DECKER. 

This  well  known  progressive  farmer  and  dairyman  of  Elmsford,  West- 
-chester  county,  takes  great  interest  in  stock-raising  and  breeding  fine  stock, 
in  that  particular  doing  the  country  much  good.  He  was  born  in  New  York 
city.  May  30,  1852,  the  son  of  William  J.  and  Harriet  Storms  (Bayles) 
Decker,  and  the  grandson  of  Cornelius  and  Mary  (Ketcham)  Decker,  the 
latter  of  whom  lived  to  the  good  old  age  hi  ninety-two  years.  The  great- 
.grandfather  of  our  subject  was  one  of  seven  brothers  who  emigrated  from 
Holland  and  settled  in  Amsterdam,  near  the  city  of  New  York.  From  them 
are  descended  the  various  families  of  that  name  in  America. 

William  J.  Decker,  the  father  of  Francis  P.,  was  born  in  the  village  of 
Newburg,  New  York,  November  2,  1809;  became  a  ship-joiner  and  con- 
structed vessels  for  the  elder  Cornelius  Vanderbilt.  He  was  a  great  mechan- 
ical genius,  "handy"  with  tools  of  any  kind.  He  helped  build  some  of  the 
■first  steamboats  that  ascended  the  Hudson  river,  also  sotne  of  the  first 
steamers  that  crossed  the  ocean.  Later  in  life  he  engaged  in  contracting 
and  building  houses  in  New  York  city;  was  also  one  of  the  organizers  of 
the  Dry  Dock  Savings.  Bank,  and  for  many  years  was  a  director  of  the 
Broadway  National  Bank  in  New  York.  Being  a  man  of  fine  business  ability 
he  became  well  known  among  business  men  generally  throughout  the  city 
and  a  prime  mover  in  all  public  works.  Naturally  he  was  a  very  public- 
spirited  man.  He  was  indeed  so  successful  in  business  that  in  1854  he 
moved  to  his  farm  in  the  town  of  Greenburg  and  there  passed  the  remainder 
of  his  days  in  comparative  retirement,  dying  June  3,   1878. 

As  his  most  intimate  companion  in  life  he  chose  Miss  Harriet  Storms 
Bayles,  who  was  born  at  Ardsley,  Westchester  county,  in  18 19.  Her  father, 
Jonathan  Bayles,  had  charge  of  the  mill  at  that  place,  and  he  moved  to  the 
farm  where  the  family  are  now  living  when  Mrs.  Decker  was  only  seven 
years  old.  She  is  the  granddaughter  of  N.  Storms,  whose  father,  Jacobus 
Storms,  sacrificed  his  life  for  the  liberty  of  this  country  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  Being  taken  prisoner,  he  was  sent  to  the  Sugar  House  in  New  York 
city,  where  he  was  poisoned  and  died.  Rachel  Storms,  a  sister  of  the  grand- 
father of  Mrs.  Decker,  became  the  wife  of  Isaac  Van  Wart,  who  aided  in 
the  capture  of  Major  Andre.  Mrs.  Decker  is  now  in  her  eightieth  year, 
occupying  the  old  home  which  has  been  historic  ever  since  the  days  of  the 
Jievolution. 


C<y2. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  809 

William  J.  Decker  and  wife  became  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren: Nancy  B.,  who  married  Asa  O.  Bassett,  and  resides  in  Evanston, 
Illinois;  George  Washington,  who  was  born  February  22,  1846,  on  the  anni- 
versary of  the  birth  of  the  illustrious  general  whose  name  he  bears;  Francis  P., 
the  subject  proper  of  this  sketch,  born  May  30,  1852;  Emma,  who  was  born 
January  27,  1856,  and  became  the  wife  of  R.  C.  Tuttle,  of  Middletown, 
New  York;  Anna,  deceased,  who  was  born  April  9,  i860,  and  married 
William  Ambler,  of  Sing  Sing,  New  York;  and  Jonathan  Bayles,  who  was 
born  May  8,   1862,  and  married  Emma  Minrath. 

Francis  P.  Decker  received  his  primary  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  town,  after  which  he  went  to  Chicago  and  attended  school,  and 
also  finished  a  course  in  a  business  college  in  that  city.  Returning  then  to 
his  home  in  this  county,  he  turned  his  attention  to  dairying  and  fancy  farm- 
ing. He  milks  from  fifteen  to  twenty  cows,  making  the  cream  into  butter 
which  is  of  fine  quality  and  in  great  demand.  He  also  handles  a  fine  strain 
of  chickens,  hatching  for  the  early  market  by  means  of  the  incubator.  He 
strives  to  have  everything  about  his  farm  of  the  best  quality.  He  conducts 
a  boarding  stable,  where  he  keeps  many  of  the  horses  belonging  to  the 
famous  "400"  of  New  York  city. 


GEORGE  B.  ROBBINS. 


George  Bacon  Robbins,  a  prominent  and  influential  citizen  of  West- 
chester county,  residing  near  Pleasantville,  was  born  in  Kingston,  Plymouth 
county,  Massachusetts,  January  27,  1834,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Emily 
(Fuller)  Robbins,  both  of  whom  were  descended  from  good  old  Puritan  stock, 
our  subject  belonging  to  the  seventh  generation  in  direct  line  from  John  and 
Priscilla  Alden.  The  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  of  the  purest  English 
extraction  in  this  part  of  the  county.  Joshua  Delano,  a  great-grandfather 
on  the  maternal  side,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  serving  under 
Captain  Ebenezer  Washburn,  Colonel  Thomas  Latrop  and  Colonel  Joseph 
Cushings,  who  commanded  the  brigade.  For  several  generations  the  Robbins 
family  have  largely  been  seafaring  men.  Our  subject's  grandfather,  Charles 
Robbins,  was  the  captain  of  a  merchantman  plying  between  this  country  and 
foreign  ports,  and  died  about  the  year  1805  on  the  isle  of  Martinique.  The 
early  religious  belief  of  the  family  was  either  Universalist  or  Baptist.  The 
father  of  our  subject  was  born  in  1795  and  made  his  home  throughout  life 
in  a  part  of  Plymouth  now  called  Kingston,  Massachusetts.  Although  very 
young  he  was  one  of  the  defenders  of  his  country  in  the  war  of  1812,  and 
like  his  ancestors  he  followed  the  sea,  being  captain  of  a  merchant  vessel 
-which  engaged  in  trade  between  this  and  many  foreign  countries.      He  died 


810.  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years,  and  his  wife,   who  was  a  lady   of  remark- 
able  intelligence,   departed   this  Hfe   at   the  advanced  age   of   ninety  years. 

In  the  family  of  this  worthy  couple  were  thirteen  children,  of  whom 
eight  reached  years  of  maturity,  namely:  Matilda,  who  married  George 
Dean  and  now  resides  in  Cleveland,  Ohio;  Emily,  deceased  wife  of  Seth 
Drew,  of  Kingston,  Massachusetts;  Mary  D.,  deceased  wife  of  Sardis  Curtis, 
formerly  of  Toledo,  Ohio,  but  now  of  Texas;  George  Bacon,  our  subject; 
Lucia,  a  resident  of  Kingston,  Massachusetts;  Charles  Taylor,,  a  resident  of 
Dayton,  Ohio;  Elizabeth,  widow  of  Henry  R.  Glover,  of  Cambridge,  Massa- 
chusetts; and  Franklin  Jackson,  who  was  formerly  owner  and  manager  of 
the  Dansville  (New  York)  Express,  but  is  now  a  resident  of  Bethany,  this 
state. 

Reared  at  Kingston,  Massachusetts,  George  B.  Robbins  obtained  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  that  place  and  at  Middleboro  and  New  Hampton, 
New  Hampshire,  and  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  tool  finisher.  During  the 
Crimean  war  he  made  a  trip  to  France  with  his  uncle,  Nathan  B.  Robbins, 
on  the  vessel  Russel,  which  was  employed  by  the  French  government  in 
carrying  munitions  of  war  to  their  armies.  He  remained  on  the  ship  until  it 
finally  returned  to  the  United  States  and  then  assisted  his  father  in  his  large 
general  store,  which  was  conducted  by  the  family  for  some  forty  years,  it 
being  carried  on  by  the  mother  when  the  father  was  away  from  home  on 
some  voyage.      Our  subject  did  not  remain  long  in  this  business,  however. 

On  the  22d  of  December,  1857,  Mr.  Robbins  married  Miss  Lydia  Atwood 
Shaw,  also  of  Revolutionary  stock,  whose  ancestor.  Lieutenant  John  Shaw, 
served  under  Colonel  Timothy  Walker,  being  one  of  the  first  twenty-two- 
regiments  ever  mustered  into  service  in  this  country,  when  General  Artemus 
Ward  was  in  command.  Mi"s.  Robbins  is  a  native  of  Wareham,  Massachu- 
setts, and  a  daughter  of  Sullivan  B.  and  Abigail  (Griffith)  Shaw.  Soon  after 
his  marriage,  Mr.  Robbins  removed  to  Minnesota  for  the  benefit  of  his  wife's 
health,  remaining  there  two  years  and  a  half,  and  on  his  return  to  Massachu- 
setts entered  the  armory  at  Springfield  in  1861,  spending  two  years  there  as 
polisher.  Going  to  New  York  city  in  1867,  he  located  at  the  corner  of  Third 
avenue  and  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-sixth  street,  and  established  himself  in 
the  roofing,  drain  and  sewer-pipe  business.  This  he  conducted  alone  until 
1 883, when  he  admitted  to  the  firm  H.  W.  Bell,  who  in  the  absence  of  our  sub- 
ject is  managing  partner.  In  1891  Mr.  Robbins  purchased  a  farm  of  seventy 
acres  in  Westchester  county,  lying  within  the  corporate  limits  of  the  village  of 
Pleasantville.  It  was  formerly  known  as  the  old  Buckhout  farm,  but  he  has 
changed  the  name  to  the  Lydwood,  and  has  made  many  excellent  improve- 
ments which  add  to  its  value  and  attractive  appearance,  including  the  erec- 
tion of  a  beautiful  modern  residence  and  other  buildings.     To  this  place  the 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  811 

family  removed  in  August,  1892,  and  here  they  have  since  made  their  home, 
while  Mr.  Robbins  gives  his  attention  to  his  investments.  He  gives  consid- 
erable time  to  the  raising  of  fruit  and  poultry,  making  a  specialty  of  white 
Leghorn  and  white  Wyandotte  fowls,  and  upon  his  place  has  the  very  finest 
equipments  for  Carrying  on  those  industries.  He  is  very  prominent  socially 
and  holds  membership  in  the  New  York  Republican  Club  and  the  Harlem 
Club. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robbins  have  one  child,  Mrs.  Bertha  Murdock  Robbins, 
now  a  widow,  who  has  one  son,  Thaddeus  Wood  Fowler  Robbins.  The  fam- 
ily are  prominent  members  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Sing  Sing,  and  formerly 
were  connected  with  the  Fifth  Avenue  Baptist  church  of  New  York.  They 
are  charter  members  of  the  public  library  of  Pleasantville,  our  subject  being 
one  of  the  trustees  of  the  same,  while  his  daughter  did  a  great  deal  toward 
securing  the  means  for  its  establishment.  The  daughter  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Mohegan  Chapter,  Daughters  of  American  Revolution,  of  Sing  Sing. 


CHARLES  E.   GRATTAN. 


Charles  E.  Grattan,  president  of  the  village  of  Croton-on-Hudson,  New 
York,  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  influential  men  of  Westchester 
county,  of  which  he  has  been  an  honored  resident  for  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
A  native  of  New  York,  he  was  born  at  Greenpoint  Bend,  April  30,  1854,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Kiper)  Grattan.  Of  their  family  of  seven 
children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  one  son,  John  W.,  died  in  1887, 
and  the  others  are  Mrs.  William  Morton,  Jr.,  and  Mrs.  M.  A.  Cogley,  both 
of  Croton-on-Hudson,  Mrs.  John  Morton,  Thomas  H.,  James  B.,  and  Charles 
E. ,  our  subject.  Their  parents  survive,  the  father  being  now  in  his  eighty- 
sixth  year  and  the  mother  in  her  seventy-eighth. 

Our  subject  was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  was  reared  in  much 
the  usual  manner  of  boys  of  his  day.  In  1877  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Emma  B.  Schneider,  a  native  of  Westchester  county,  and'  to 
them  has  been  born  one  child,  a  son,  Charles  G. ,  who  is  at  home  with  his 
parents. 

Since  attaining  his  majority  Mr.  Grattan  has  taken  an  active  interest  in 
political  affairs,  is  a  pronounced  Democrat,  and  is  a  recognized  leader  in  the 
local  Democratic  organization.  He  has  ever  taken  a  prominent  part  in  pub- 
lic affairs,  has  filled  many  of  the  township  offices,  served  as  collector  for 
fourteen  years,  and  has  been  treasurer  of  the  fire  department.  In  1888  he 
was  elected  the  first  president  of  the  village,  and  discharged  the  duties  thereof 
with  fidelity  and  satisfaction  to  his  constituency.  The  reins  of  the  city 
government  have  never  been  in  more  capable  hands,  for  he  is  a  progressive 


812  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

man,  pre-eminently  public-spirited,  and  all  that  pertains  to  public  welfare 
receives  his  hearty  endorsement.  Socially  he  holds  membership  in  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  Lodge  at  Sing  Sing.  He  is  past  master  of  Westchester 
Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  past  high  priest  of  Buckingham  Chapter,  74,  R. 
A.  M.,  and  of  Westchester  Commandery  No.  42,  all  at  Sing  Sing.  He  is 
emphatically  a  man  of  enterprise,  positive  character  indomitable  energy, 
strict  integrigity  and  liberal  views,  and  is  thoroughly  identified  in  feeling 
with  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  his  village. 


THOMAS  RADFORD,  Esq. 

Nathaniel  Radford  came  from  Nova  Scotia  in  the  early  part  of  the  present 
century  and  settled  in  Foughkeepsie,  this  state.  His  wife  was  Sarah  Barton, 
of  Dutchess  county,  and  they  were  the  parents  of  three  sons:  William, 
Lewis  and  Thomas.  The  last  named  was  born  at  Foughkeepsie,  October  8, 
1819.  He  remained  in  his  native  place  until  the  age  of  fifteen,  when  he  went 
to  New  York  and  entered  the  store  of  his  brother  Lewis,  who  was  already 
established  in  business.  There  he  remained  for  four  years  and  then  engaged 
in  business  on  his  own  account,  in  which  he  was  very  successful.  In  1854, 
having  accumulated  a  competence,  he  removed  to  Yonkers,  where  he  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life  as  a  retired  country  gentleman,  building  the  hand- 
some residence,  on  South  Broadway,  where  the  family  now  reside,  and  where 
he  continued  to  devote  his  time  and  attention  to  the  improvement  of  his 
estate  and  to  making  the  comfort  and  enjoyment  of  his  family  his  constant 
care. 

Mr.  Radford  married  Miss  Adelia  Antoinette,  a  daughter  of  David  B. 
Wood,  of  Newburgh,  New  York.  Their  family  of  ten  children  are  all  living, 
as  follows:  Frances,  the  wife  of  Oscar  Waring;  Huldah,  the  wife  of  Will- 
iam Welsh;  Adalaide  W.,  the  wife  of  James  H.  Weller;  Thomas  W.,  who 
married  Eldora,  a  daughter  of  Montgomery  Davis;  Antoinette,  the  wife  of 
Charles  R.  Crisfield;  Emma,  the  wife  of  Garrett  F.  Rose;  Lizzie;  Lewis, 
who  married  Lucy  C.  Berston;  Walter  and  George  B.,  most  of  whom  reside 
in  Yonkers. 

William  Radford,  the  eldest  brother  of  Thomas  Radford,  was  the  first 
president  of  Yonkers  and  was  a  member  of  congress.  His  brother  Lewis  was 
a  successful  merchant  of  New  York  city,  where  he  resides  in  retirement. 

Mr.  Thomas  Radford  was  not  attached  to  any  political  party  and 
shunned  all  offers  for  official  honor.  He  was  an  attendant  of  the  Reformed 
church  and  his  memory  is  cherished  by  his  friends  as  a  kind  parent  and  a 
worthy  citizen.  He  died  December  30,  1877,  in  the  fifty-eighth  year  of  his 
age. 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  813 


HON.  JAMES  H.   WELLER. 

Hon.  James  H.  Weller,  ex-mayor,  and  for  thirty  years  a  resident  and 
one  of  the  leading  and  most  substantial  business  men  of  the  enterprising  city 
of  Yonkers,  New  York,  was  born  at  Montgomery,  Orange  county,  New  York, 
October  lO,  1835.  His  father  was  Alfred  Weller  and  his  mother  was  Cath- 
erine Dickerson.  He  was  the  eldest  of  three  brothers,  the  other  two  being 
Alanson  Y.  of  the  firm  of  Schoonmaker  &  Weller,  of  Newburgh,  New  York, 
and  Joseph  H.  of  the  firm  of  Tefft,  Weller  &  Company,  of  New  York  city. 
They  all  became  successful  dry-goods  merchants. 

The  subject  of  this  review  when  seventeen  years  of  age  became  an 
apprentice  of  the  old  dry-goods  firm  of  Scott  &  Clark,  of  New  York  city, 
with  whom  he  remained  eight  years,  after  which  he  engaged  with  Demarest 
&  Middleton  in  the  leather  and  findings  business  in  New  York  city.  While 
with  that  firm  he  became  associated  with  Thomas  R.  Miller,  with  whom  he 
embarked  in  the  leather  and  shoe-findings  business,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Weller  &  Miller,  at  16  Spruce  street,  New  York  city.  After  a  pleasant  and 
profitable  business  career  of  fifteen  years,  the  firm  was  dissolved  in  1877  by 
mutual  consent.  After  living  in  retirement  for  one  year  Mr.  Weller  estab- 
lished the  dry-goods,  furniture  and  carpet  house  of  Weller  &  Welsh,  at  Yon- 
kers in  1878.  The  firm  continued  in  this  successful  and  pleasant  relation  up 
to  July  I,  1897,  when  by  mutual  agreement  the  partnership  was  dissolved 
and  the  extensive  business  of  the  house  was  divided, — the  dry-goods  depart- 
ment having  since  been  conducted  under  the  style  of  James  H.  Weller  & 
Sons  (George  R.  and  Joseph  W.  constituting  the  sons  of  this  firm).  Mr. 
Weller  has  been  a  trustee  of  the  Yonkers  Savings  Bank  since  iSgi  and  is  at 
present  a  member  of  the  finance  committee. 

In  the  spring  of  1892  Mr.  Weller  received  the  Republican  nomination 
for  mayor  of  Yonkers.  After  -a  hotly  contested  election,  there  being  four 
candidates  in  the  field,  he  was  elected  by  a  plurality  of  two  hundred  and 
twenty-six  votes.  During  his  term  of  office  he  made  earnest  and  honest 
attempts  to  reduce  the  evils  of  the  liquor  traffic  by  the  appointment  of  an 
excise  board  that  would  materially  reduce  the  number  of  drinking  places.  In 
his  efforts  he  was  opposed  by  the  aldermen,  yet  he  succeeded  in  improving 
the  character  of  the  excise  board,  increasing  the  amount  of  the  license  fees 
and  in  holding  the  demoralizing  traffic  in  check.  The  most  important  bene- 
fit, however,  conferred  upon  the  city  by  Mr.  Weller's  administration  was  the 
suppression  of  the  threatening  nuisances  along  the  Nepperhan  river.  These 
nuisances  had  been  indicted  by  the  grand  jury  and  most  emphatically  con- 
demned by  the  Yonkers  and  state  boards  of  health;  but 'they  continued  to 
offend  the  senses  and  imperil  human  life.     At  length,  firmly  supported  by  the 


814  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

board  of  health,  Mayor  Weller  signed  an  order  for  the  removal  of  the  dams, 
and  they  were  summarily  removed.  The  stream  once  so  offensive  now  rip- 
ples through  the  city,  sparkling  and  bright,  proving  an  ornament  rather  than 
a  nuisance. 

During  his  administration  many  new  and  important  improvements  were 
accomplished,  among  them  being  the  introduction  of  granite-block  and  sheet 
asphalt  paving  for  the  important  thoroughfares  of  the  city,  the  widening  of 
the  arch  of  the  old  Croton  a'queduct  over  Nepperhan  avenue  and  the  estab- 
lishing of  a  hospital  for  contagious  diseases  and  a  crematory  for  the  burning 
of  garbage  and  dead  animals.  Many  new  streets  were  laid  out  and  extended, 
electric  subways  put  down,  sewers  constructed  and  water  and  fire  systems 
enlarged.  On  his  retiring  from  office  he  left  a  public  record  which  for 
aggressive  action  and  benefit  conferred  on  the  city  has  been  unsurpassed 
by  that  of  any  other  mayor.  His  administration  was  characterized  by  a  bold 
courage  and  an  impartiality  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  that  important 
office  that  knew  neither  fear  nor  favor.  He  stood  aggressively  in  sup- 
port of  every  measure  and  movement  inaugurated  which  had  for  its  purpose 
the  welfare  of  the  city  of  Yonkers  and  the  health,  happiness  and  convenience 
of  its  citizens. 

On  May  21,  1867,  Mr.  Weller  married  Miss  Adelaide  W.,  a  daughter  of 
the  late  Thomas  Radford,  of  Yonkers  (see  sketch  preceding).  Eight  children 
were  born  to  them,  five  of  whom  are  now  living:  Emma  Adelaide 
(deceased),  George  R. ,  James  Edwin  (deceased,)  Grace  Adelaide,  Joseph  W. , 
Charles  Warren  (deceased,)  William  Henry  and  James  Alfred. 

Alfred  Weller,  father  of  James  H.,  was  a  farmer  in  the  town  of  Mont- 
gomery, Orange  county.  New  York;  politically,  he  was  a  Republican  and 
religiously,  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church.  He  married  Catherine  Dick>- 
«rson,  daughter  of  Adam  Dickerson,  also  of  Montgomery.  Their  children 
were:  James  H.,  Alanson  Y.,  Joseph  H.  (deceased),  Eliza  B.  Harris,  Sarah 
Agnes  Kernochan  (deceased),  Ceceha  Bull,  and  two  who  died  in  infancy. 
Alfred  Weller  passed  away  in  April,  1872,  aged  sixty-seven  years.  His 
wife  died  in   1887,   at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years. 


SEAMAN  BRADLEY,   D.  V.  S. 

The  Bradley  family  has  for  several  generations  been  prominently  identi- 
fied with  the  commercial,  political  and  social  interests  of  New  York.  Henry 
Bradley,  Dr.  Seaman  Bradley's  great-grandfather  in  the  paternal  line,  was  a 
•candidate  for  governor  of  the  state  and  was  defeated  by  Hon.  Reuben  E. 
Fenton  by  only  about   twelve   hundred   votes.      He    was  prominent  as  an 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  815 

abolitionist  and  as  an  advocate  of  temperance,  and  did  much  active  and  tell- 
ing work  for  the  emancipation  of  slaves  and  the  advancement  of  the  cause  of 
temperance,  and  was  in  every  way  a  useful  and  patriotic  citizen.  He  was,  in 
his  day,  one  of  America's  great  nierchants,  and  died  past  ninety  years  of 
age,  leaving  a  considerable  fortune  which  had  been  amassed  honestly  and 
without  injustice  to  any  class  of  people.  He  married  Rhoda  Ogdeh  and  had 
several  children,  one  of  which  was  Henry  Bradley  (second),  the  paternal 
grandfather  of  Dr.  Seaman'  Bradley,  who,  like  his  father,  was  a  true  Ameri- 
can and  a  lover  of  liberty  and  justice,  and  who  was  for  many  years  successful 
as  a  manufacturer  of  varnish  in  New  York  city.  This  Henry  Bradley  married 
Mary  Seaman  and  had  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  James  N.,  Ogden  S. , 
Catalett  and  Mary,  and  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-five.  His  widow,  Mary 
(Seaman)  Bradley,  survives  him,  now  past  eighty.  Of  their  four  children 
but  one  married, — Ogden  S., — who  took  as  his  wife  Rebecca  Purdy  and  had 
five  children,,  of  whom  Dr.  Bradley  was  the  first  born. 

Ogden  S.  Bradley  was  born  in  Buffalo,  New  York,  in  1844,  and  after 
attaining  his  majority  removed  to  Sing  Sing.  Thence  he  removed  to  Dobbs 
Ferry  in  1868,  and  at  this  time  lives  at  Millwood.  He  was  for  some  time 
engaged  in  the  real-estate  business,  in  New  York  city, 'and  with  most  sat- 
isfactory results.  He  has  retired  from  active  business  and  is  enjoying  the 
fruits  of  early  and  well  directed  enterprise.  His  children  were  Seaman,  of 
whom  more  is  said  further  on;  Harry,  now  dead,  who  was  editor  and  pro- 
prietor of  the  Greenburg  Register  at  Dobbs  Ferry  and  postmaster  of  that 
place  by  appointment  of  President  Harrison:  George,  who  married  Anna 
Halstead;  Fredrick,  who  married  Rebecca  Montgomery;  and  Cornelia,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Samuel  J.   Henwood. 

Dr.  Seaman  Bradley  was  born  in  Sing  Sing,  New  York,  July  4,  1863. 
He  acquired  his  elementary  education  in  the  schools  at  Dobbs  Ferry,  and  in 
1883  entered  the  American  Veterinary  College  of  New  York,  at  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1886,  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Veterinary  Surgery.  He 
immediately  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Dobbs  Ferry, 
where  he  met  with  success.  In  1895,  in  order  to  be  more  centrally  located, 
he  removed  to  Sing  Sing,  where  his  success  has  been  in  every  way 
creditable  and  satisfactory.  His  home  and  veterinary  establishment,  situated 
on  beautiful  grounds  near  the  old  camp-meeting  grounds,  have  been  greatly 
improved  by  him  since  he  took  up  his  residence  there,  and  now  have  every 
feature  of  comfort  and  convenience  that  could  be  desired. 

Politically,  Dr.  Bradley  follows  in  the  footsteps  of  his  forefathers  and 
i?  a  strong  Republican,  but  he  is  not  an  active  politician  or  an  office-seeker. 
He  was   married  June   S,  1898,   to  Callette   Elizabeth   Deliot,   daughter  of 
•  Adolph  and  Elizabeth  (Hunter)  Deliot. 


816  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 


GILBERT  B.   HUESTIS. 

The  fitting  reward  of  a  well  spent  and  upright  business  life  is  an  honorable 
retirement  from  labor, — a  period  in  which  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  former  toil 
and  to  engage  in  those  pursuits  which  afford  pleasure  and  recreation  in  compen- 
sation for  the  years  assiduously  devoted  to  business.  Gilbert  B.  Huestis  is 
one  to  whom  such  a  rest  has  been  vouchsafed.  For  many  years  he  stood 
as  one  of  the  foremost  representatives  of  the  building  interests  of  New  York 
city.  Some  of  the  most  palatial  homes  of  the  metropolis,  stand  as  monu- 
ments to  his  architectural  skill;  but  now,  as  the  reward  of  his  honorable  and 
well  directed  effort,  the  handsome  competence  formerly  acquired  enables  him 
to  live  retired  in  his  beautiful  home  in  Mount  Vernon. 

Mr.  Huestis  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  honored 
families  of  Westchester  county.  At  a  very  early  period  in  American  history 
a  Eustis — for  so  the  name  was  originally  spelled — left  his  home  in  Holland 
and  founded  the  family  in  the  New  World,  locating  in  Fairfield,  Connecti- 
cut, whence  Robert  Huestis  came  to  Westchester  county  about  1664.  By 
his  wife,  Elizabeth,  he  had  four  children, — Robert,  Samuel,  David  and 
James.  The  last  named  removed  from  Fairfield,  Connecticut,  to  East- 
chester  in  1665,  and  his  children  were  Jonathan,  born  November  12,  1667; 
James,  born  February  15,  1669;  and  Judah,  born  March  16,  1671.  James, 
the  second  son,  married  Tamer  Pell,  a  daughter  of  John  Pell,  and  their  son 
James,  who  died  about  1779,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  married  Tamer 
Ferris,  and  had  six  children,  namely:  James,  who  married  a  Miss  Griffin; 
Caleb;  Samuel,  who  became  a  man  of  high  literary  distinction;  Joshua; 
Martha,  wife  of  James  Boyd;  and  Sarah,   wife  of  Samuel  Nelson. 

Joshua  Huestis,  the  son  of  James  and  Tamer  (Ferris)  Huestis,  married 
Abbie  Parker,  and  died  in  December,  1 78 1 ,  while  his  wife  died  in  1 82 1 ,  at  the 
age  of  ninety  years.  Their  eldest  son,  Thomas  Huestis,  of  New  Brunswick, 
New  Jersey,  was  born  December  25,  1760,  and  married  Phoebe  Mabee,  by 
whom  he  had  four  children:  Joshua,  who  married  Sarah  Black;  Peter,  who 
married  Miss  Lefruge;  James  and  Nathaniel.  The  mother  having  died, 
Thomas  Huestis  married  Eliza  Smith,  and  by  the  second  union  had  six  chil- 
dren: Phoebe,  Mabee,  Abby,  Joshua,  Thomas  and  Mary.  The  last  named 
became  the  wife  of  Benjamin  Palmer,  who  was  born  in  December,  1765,  and 
followed  farming  on  eighty  acres  of  land  near  Tuckahoe,  New  York.  He  was 
a  zealous  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  served  as  a  trustee. 
Benjamin  Huestis  married  Hannah  Higby,  who  was  born  June  16,  1771. 
Their  children  were  Joshua;  Fleming,  a  farmer  who  resided  in  Illinois;  Ben- 
jamin, who  was  likewise  a  farmer  in  Illinois;  Thomas  Palmer,  of  Portsmouth, 
New  Hampshire,  who  died  in  New  Jersey;  Samuel,  who  died  in  childhood; 


^^'^^^^^^P^^^.  Z^:^^.,^ 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  817 

William,  who  died  in  Yonkers;  Daniel,  who  resides  in  Omaha,  Nebraska,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-eight  years;  Harvey,  who  died  in  early  youth;  Catherine, 
wife  of  Abraham  Lent,  of  Tuckahoe,  New  York;  Mary,  and  Abigail,  wife  of 
James  Thomas. 

Joshua  Huestis,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  at  Somerstown, 
Westchester  county,  March  4,  1795,  and  for  many  years  resided  upon  a  farn> 
of  eighty  acres  at  East  Chester.  He  was  postmaster  of  Mount  Vernon  when 
the  office  was  at  Hunt's  Bridge,  the  present  site  of  Harlem  Station.  He 
married  Sarah  A.  Fowler  and  they  had  two  children, — Susan  and  Gilbert  B., 
the  latter  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The  former  married  George  Archer,  of 
Fordham,  a  farmer,  who  served  as  tax  collector  for  many  years.  Mr.  Archer 
died  in  1867,  and  his  wife  died  in  1 891,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  Joshua 
Huestis  died  at  Mile  Square,  March  10,  1873,  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  1849, 
at  the  age  of  forty-nine  years,  her  birth  having  occurred  February  10,   1800. 

Gilbert  B.  Heustis,  the  subject  of  this  review,  was  born  March  29,  1832, 
and  attended  the  public  schools  at  East  Chester  until  fifteen  years  of  age. 
He  left  home  at  the  age  of  seventeen  and,  under  the  direction  of  Steven  S. 
Munson,  architect  and  builder,  mastered  the  business  which  he  made  his  life 
work.  He  became  an  expert  workman,  his  skill  enabling  him  to  command  a 
very  important  position.  For  forty  years  he  was  connected  with  the  exten- 
sive business  of  James  C.  Hoe  as  superintendent  of  their  building  interests, 
and  in  that  capacity  had  charge  of  the  construction  of  the  Tiffany  mansion  at 
Seventy-seventh  street  and  Madison  avenue.  It  required  six  years  to  com- 
plete this,  and  the  cost  was  one  million  dollars.  On  the  completion  of  the 
work  C.  L.  Tiffany  presented  him  with  a  gold  watch  valued  at  two  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars.  He  also  had  charge  of  the  erection  of  the  palatial  home  of 
A.  T.  Stewart  on  Park  Hill,  between  Thirty-third  and  Thirty-fourth  streets, 
and  of  the  reconstruction  of  the  Metropohtan  Hotel,  in  1865.  These  hand- 
some structures  stand  as  monuments  to  his  skill  and  enterprise,  and  many 
other  fine  buildings  in  the  city  give  evidence  of  his  handiwork.  He  continued 
with  James  C.  Hoe  until  1896,  since  which  time  he  has  lived  retired,  enjoy- 
ing a  rest  which  he  has  truly  earned  and  richly  deserves. 

On  the  7th  of  May,  1854,  Mr.  Huestis  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Harriet  E.  Fowler,  a  daughter  of  Duncan  S.  Fowler,  a  shoe  dealer  of  New 
York  city.  Three  children  were  born  to  them.  William  Henry,  the  eldest, 
married  Margaret  Smart,  of  Yonkers,  who  died  leaving  two  children, — Hattie 
and  Hazel.  He  afterward  married  her  sister,  Mary  Smart,  and  they  now 
reside  in  Brooklyn.  Emory  J.,  the  second  of  the  family,  is  deceased.  Harvey 
is  the  youngest.  The  mother  died  June  24,  1864,  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight 
years,  and  Mr.  Huestis  was  married,  in  July,  1865,  to  Mary  Bryant,  who  died 
June  23,  1893,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years. 

52 


818  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

In  1878  Mr.  Huestis  removed  from  New  York  city  to  Mount  Vernon, 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He  is  a  Republican  in  his  poHtical 
views,  and  in  religious  faith  is  a  Methodist.  His  life  has  been  well  spent, 
and  his  success  is  the  creditable  result  of  his  own  efforts.  His  business  career 
has  been  characterized  by  perseverance,  promptness  and  marked  fidelity  to 
the  terms  of  a  contract  and  to  the  trust  reposed  in  him.  His  integrity  is 
above  question,  and  he  sustains  an  unassailable  reputation  in  business  circles. 
His  interest  in  the  welfare  and  progress  of  the  community  renders  him  a 
valued  citizen,  and  his  social  qualities  and  sterling  worth  make  him  popular 
with  a  large  circle  of  friends. 


MRS.    MARY  EVELINE  HARPER. 

One  of  the  first  questions  that  demanded  public  attention  in  America 
was  education,  and  since  that  time  the  school  system  of  the  country  has  com- 
manded universal  respect.  Marked  advancement  has  been  made  in  this  line, 
and  in  the  public  schools  of  the  land  are  found  teachers  of  marked  ability, 
strong  mentality  and  forceful  individuality,  who  are  leaving  their  impress  upon 
the  intellectual  progress  of  the  nation.  Among  the  prominent  representatives 
of  the  educational  interests  of  southeastern  New  York  is  Mrs.  Mary  Eveline 
Harper,  who  resides  in  Mount  Vernon,  but  is  principal  of  an  industrial  school 
which  is  carried  on  in  connection  with  the  public-school  system  of  New  York 
city.  She  is  a  representative  of  two  of  the  most  prominent  pioneer  families 
of  Westchester  county.  Her  parents  were  Aaron  and  Eliza  (Searing)  Spin- 
ning. The  former  was  a  native  of  Newark,  New  Jersey,  and  his  father,  a 
native  of  Holland,  became  the  founder  of  the  family  in  America.  Crossing 
the  Atlantic,  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Newark,  where  he  made  his  home  until 
his  death.  He  was  a  man  of  considerable  means,  and  died  in  1857,  at  the 
age  of  eighty  years.  In  his  family  were  two  sons, — Aaron  and  Charles.  The 
former  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  New  York  city,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  carriage-trimming  business.  He  married  Miss  Searing,  who 
was  born  in  1818,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Moses  Searing,  whose  history  is 
given  in  connection  with  that  of  his  nephew,  Gilbert  B.  Huestis,  in  the  preced- 
ing sketch.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spinning  were  born  three  children:  Theo- 
dore, deceased;  Mrs.  Harper;  and  George,  who  died  in  infancy.  The  father 
was  a  Republican  in  his  political  views.  He  is  deceased,  as  also  his  wife, 
who  passed  away  April  i,   1850. 

The  maternal  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Harper,  Moses  Searing,  was  born  No- 
vember 23,  1782,  at  the  residence  on  the  old  Searing  homestead,  which  is 
5till  standing.      His  father,  Daniel   Searing,  was  a  second  lieutenant  in  the 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  819 

Second  Battalion  of  Westchester  county  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  The 
Searing  family  was  of  English  origin  and  the  original  American  ancestor  lo- 
cated at  Searington,  Long  Island,  which  place  was  named  in  honor  of  the 
family,  and  from  there  Daniel  Searing  came  to  Westchester  county.  He 
located  at  East  Chester,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  and  built  a  residence  at 
what  is  now  the  corner  of  Eleventh  avenue  and  Fourth  street.  Mount  Ver- 
non. He  owned  and  operated  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres,  and  upon 
that  farm  reared  his  family.  He  was  a  prominent  man  in  the  affairs  of  the 
village  and  town,  served  as  assessor  and  road  commissioner,  and  held  other 
public  offices  of  trust.  His  wife,  Elizabeth  Searing,  was  born  October  22, 
1745,  and  their  children  were  Jane,  born  August  21,  1764;  Sarah,  born  July 
21,  1768;  Elizabeth,  born  July  19,  1771;  Mary,  born  November  22,  1774; 
Charles,  born  May  18,  1777;  Moses,  born  in  1782,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject;  and  Lewis,  born  in  1784.  Moses  Searing  followed  farming  through- 
out his  life.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a  member  of  St.  Paul's 
Episcopal  church  in  East  Chester,  where  he  was  buried  in  i860,  his  death 
occurring  when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  He  married 
Susan  "White,  of  Tarrytown,  and  their  children  were  John,  Jane,  Mary, 
Eliza,  Susan,  William  Henry  and  Daniel,  all  now  deceased. 

Mrs.  Harper  was  afforded  excellent  school  privileges,  and  completed  her 
education  by  her  graduation  in  the  Mount  Vernon  Institute,  under  the  in- 
struction of  Professor  John  Oakley.  Since  that  time  she  has  largely  devoted 
her  attention  and  energies  to  teaching.  She  taught  the  Mile  Square  school 
in  the  city  of  Yonkers  in  1866-7,  and  in  the  latter  year  took  charge 
of  school  No.  5,  of  Mount  Vernon,  where  she  remained  until  1869.  She 
was  married  June  24,  1868,  when  she  became  the  wife  of  James  Harper,  a 
hardware  merchant  of  Mount  Vernon.  They  became  the  parents  of  two 
children:  Jennie  Sherwood,  the  elder,  born  May  13,  1869,  a  graduate  of 
Albany  S.  College,  is  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  East  Orange,  New 
Jersey.  James  Edwin,  the  son,  now  occupies  a  responsible  position  as  trav- 
eling salesman  for  a  large  hardware  firm  in  San  Francisco,  California.  He 
makes  his  home  in  Reno,  Nevada. 

For  twenty-two  years  Mrs.  Harper  was  successfully  engaged  in  teach- 
ing in  the  public  schools  of  Mount  Vernon,  and  since  1895  has  been  principal 
of  an  industrial  school  of  New  York.  She  has  traveled  extensively,  thereby 
gaining  that  knowledge  and  culture  which  nothing  but  travel  brings.  Her 
scholarly  attainments  and  literary  tastes  make  her  a  valued  addition  to  intel- 
lectual circles,  and  at  the  same  time  render  her  peculiarly  competent  to 
instruct  the  young  not  only  in  the  lessons  of  the  text-books  but  also  in  the 
habits  of  mental  development  that  will  best  fit  them  to  cope  with  the  prac- 
tical duties  of  life. 


820  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 


G.  HOSMER  MAGNESS,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Magness  is  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery  in 
White  Plains,  New  York,  and  has  that  love  for  and  devotion  to  his  profession 
which  results  in  success  and  which  has  won  him  a  place  among  the  ablest 
representatives  of  the  medical  profession  in  this  locality. 

The  Doctor  was  born  in  New  York  city,  in  1851,  a  son  of  Henry  Dorsey 
and  Elizabeth  A.  (Hosmer)  Magness,  both  of  whom  were  oi  French  descent. 
The  Magness  family  originated  in  the  north  of  France,  and  its  first  represent- 
ative in  America  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  1650  and  located  in  Maryland. 
From  him  are  descended  all  bearing  the  name  in  the  New  World,  and  many 
of  the  members  of  the  family,  like  our  subject,  have  devoted  their  energies 
to  the  medical  profession.  The  Hosmer  family  also  came  from  France  and 
was  founded  in  this  country  by  two  brothers,  one  of  whom  settled  in  Con- 
necticut, the  other  in  Massachusetts.  In  their  veins  flowed  noble  blood,  and 
the  family  was  one  of  much  prominence  in  the  "land  of  the  lily." 

Henry  D.  Magness,  the  Doctor's  father,  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Mary- 
land, in  1824,  and  was  a  son  of  John  Magness,  who  also  was  a  native  of 
that  state,  where  he  owned  a  large  plantation  which  he  cultivated  with  the 
aid  of  a  large  number  of  negro  slaves  that  he  owned.  He  was  a  soldier  of 
the  Revolutionary  war  and  held  a  captain's  commission.  Henry  D.  Mag- 
ness was  reared  on  the  plantation,  and  having  attained  to  man's  estate  mar- 
ried Miss  Elizabeth  A.  Hosmer,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  New  York  city 
and  is  a  daughter  of   John  A.  and  Mary  A.  Hosmer,  natives  of  Connecticut. 

The  Doctor  spent  the  first  fourteen  years  of  his  life  in  South  America, 
where  he  had  gone  with  his  father,  who  was  largely  interested  in  commercial 
enterprises  there  and  owned  considerable  property  in  that  country.  There 
Dr.  Magness  was  first  sent  to  an  English  and  afterward  to  a  French  school. 
Returning  to  New  York  city,  he  began  the  study  of  medicine,  preparatory  to 
making  the  profession  his  life  work,  and  later  pursued  a  course  in  Bellevue 
Hospital  Medical  College,  wher-e  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1876.  He 
afterward  spent  six  months  in  a  hospital  to  gain  practical  knowledge  of  the 
science  of  medicine  and  also  devoted  a  year  to  the  study  of  special  surgery. 

Thus  thoroughly  equipped  for  life's  work,  he  opened  an  office  in  New 
York  city,  in  1878,  and  began  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession.  The 
following  year  he  came  to  White  Plains,  where  he  soon  succeeded  in  build- 
ing up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice,  which  he  still  enjoys.  It  has  largely 
been  of  an  important  character,  for  which  his  skill  and  ability  aptly  fit  him. 
He  is  now  serving  as  physician  at  the  Home  of  Nazareth  and  to  the  Sisters 
of  Divine  Compassion.  He  is  also  president  of  the  board  of  health  of  the 
village  of  White  Plains.     He  was  one  of  the  active  leaders  in  the  opposition 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  821 

movement  against  the  sale  of  adulterated  milk  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and 
as  an  editorial  writer  has  exerted  a  strong  influence  against  the  sanitary 
abuses  in  the  metropolis.  He  is  a  leadmg  member  of  the  Westchester  Med- 
ical Society  and  the  New  York  State  Medical  Society,  and  keeps  constantly 
in  touch  with  the  progress  that  is  continually  being  made  in  connection  with 
the  medical  science.  He  has  gained  marked  prestige  in  his  profession,  and 
his  brethren  accord  him  a  foremost  place  in  their  ranks. 

Dr.  Magness  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Margaret  E.  Moore,  of 
Brooklyn,  New  York,  a  daughter  of  P.  S.  Moore,  of  that  city,  and  to  them 
have  been  born  four  children, —  Mary,  Helen,  Thomas  W.  and  George,  aged 
respectively  twenty,  eighteen,  eleven  and  nine  years.  The  family  have  an 
elegant  home  in  White  Plains,  and  therein  hospitality  reigns  supreme.  It  is 
a  favorite  resort  with  many  friends,  and  the  members  of  the  family  are  both 
widely  and  favorably  known  in  this  locality.  The  Doctor  is  also  a  valued 
and  exemplary  member  of  the  Foresters,  and  is  a  prominent  knight  of  Sher- 
wood Forest,  having  been  commander  of  the  conclave.  He  is  also  a  Knight 
Templar  in  Masonry,  and  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine. 


JARED  E.   MEAD. 


The  well  known  assessor  of  Lewisboro  township,  Jared  E.  Mead,  is 
a  worthy  representative  of  the  agricultural  interests  of  Westchester  county, 
and  is  to-day  successfully  operating  a  valuable  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
thirty- four  acres,  which  was  the  homestead  of  his  grandfather,  Jared  Mead, 
and  was  owned  by  Elroy  Mead  for  many  years.  In  connection  with  general 
farming,  our  subject  is  also  engaged  in  the  milk  business  and  has  built  up  an 
excellent  trade  along  that  line. 

Mr.  Mead  was  born  in  Yorktown,  this  county,  February  14,  1855,  and 
is  a  son  of  Clarke  F.  Mead,  also  a  native  of  Westchester  county,  his  birth 
occurring  in  New  Castle  township.  The  paternal  grandparents  were  Jared 
and  Elizabeth  (Parker)  Mead,  both  of  whom  died  in  York  township.  They 
had  four  children,  namely:  Clarke  F.,  Mrs.  Olivia  Banks,  Mrs.  Esther  Ray- 
mond, and  William  L.,  deceased,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  civil  war.  Clarke 
F.  Mead  married  Miss  Sarah  Reynolds,  of  Mount  Pleasant  township,  a 
daughter  of  Enos  Reynolds,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  eight  children 
who  reached  years  of  maturity,  namely:  Jared  E.,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Haight, 
Effie  Mead,  Lewis  W.,  Flora  (wife  of  Ira  D.  Strang),  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Strang, 
and  two  who  died  young, — Morris  R.  and  Elmer  E.  The  father,  who  was 
an  earnest  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  in  politics  an  ardent  Repub- 
lican, died  at  the  age  of  forty-six  years,  but  the  mother  is  still  living,  at  the 
old  home  in  Yorktown. 


822  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

During  his  boyhood  and  youth  Jared  E.  Mead  pursued  his  studies  in  the 
public  schools  near  his  home  and  at  Claverack,  New  York.  In  1888  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  A.,  B.  Clapp,  of  Brooklyn,  this  state,  who,  prior  to  her 
marriage,  was  successfully  engaged  in  teaching  school.  In  1890  he  removed 
to  Somers,  this  county,  but  two  years  later  located  upon  his  present  farm,  to 
the  cultivation  and  improvement  of  which  he  has  since  devoted  his  energies, 
with  most  gratifying  results.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  with  prohibition 
tendencies,  and  in  1896  was  honored  by  an  election  to  the  office  of  assessor 
of  his  township,  a  position  he  is  now  acceptably  filling.  He  is  an  active  and 
prominent  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  he  is  now 
serving  as  steward. 

Colonel  Joseph  B.  Clapp,  Mrs.  Mead's  father,  was  educated  at  Amherst, 
Massachusetts,  and  for  a  short  time  was  in  the  Union  service  during  the  civil 
war,  later  serving  with  the  rank  of  colonel  in  the  state  militia.  He  married 
Sarah  Jeroleman,  who  was  of  Holland  descent,  of  which  stock  she  is  proud, 
as  is  every  one  else  who  is  acquainted  with  it.  On  the  side  of  both  her 
father  and  her  mother  several  of  the  men  participated  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  and  Mrs.  Mead  has  one  of  the  spoons  given  in  a  set  to  her  great-grand- 
father by  John  Hancock  as  a  wedding  present.  It  was  manufactured  by  the 
noted  silversmith,  Paul  Revere,  and  his  name  is  engraved  on  the  back  as  the 
maker.  The  family  to  which  Mrs.  Mead  belongs  is  an  old  Brooklyn  family, 
well  known  in  their  section  of  the  state,  her  father  being  one  of  the  best 
known  citizens  and  an  associate  of  all  the  leading  men,  such  as  the  father  of 
Seth  Low,  and  many  old-time  politicians. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mead,  the  subjects  of  this  sketch,  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  are  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who 
know  them. 

CALEB  FOWLER  UNDERHILL. 

This  gentleman  is  one  of  the  leading  and  influential  citizens  of  Yonkers 
and  has  taken  an  active  part  in  promoting  its  substantial  improvement  and 
material  development.  He  is  now  acceptably  serving  as  assessor  of  the  city 
and  town  of  that  name,  having  filled  the  office  for  twenty-four  consecutive 
years,  discharging  his  duties  with  most  commendable  promptness  and  fidelity 
throughout  the  long  period.  He  has  commanded  the  respect  of  all  by  his 
sterling  worth,  and  his  rectitude  of  character  and  faithfulness  to  trust 
furnishes  an  example  well  worthy  of  emulation. 

Mr.  Underbill,  a  representative  of  an  old  and  honored  Westchester 
family,  was  born  July  30,  1821,  on  the  old  homestead  where  his  grandfather 
lived  for  many  years.  He  traces  his  ancestry  back  to  Captain  John  Under- 
bill, more  familiary  known  as  Lord  Underbill,  who  was  born  about  the  year 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  823 

1600  and  emigrated  to  the  New  World  in  1632.  He  married  Elizabeth  Feke, 
and  their  descendants,  now  verj'  numerous,  are  widely  scattered.  As  far  as 
the  facts  can  be  ascertained  it  is  believed  that  Captain  Underbill  and  his 
wife  first  settled  on  Long  Island,  New  York,  whence  they  afterward  removed 
to  Westchester  county.  The  great-grandfather  of  our  subject  was  Nathaniel 
Underbill,  and  his  son,  Frederick  B.  Underbill,  the  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in'  the  town  of  Yonkers,  Westchester  county.  Thomas  Bon- 
nett  Underbill,  father  of  Caleb  F. ,  was  born  on  the  old  family  homestead, 
August  12,  1794,  and  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  as  a  life  work. 
He  married  Miss  Susanna  Fowler,  and  to  them  were  born  eight  children,  six 
sons  and  two  daughters,  who  in  order  of  birth  were  as  follows:  Elda  Jane, 
deceased;  Caleb  Fowler,  Fred  Bennett,  Benjamin  Fowler,  David  Morgan, 
Susan  Ann,  Isaac  Vermilya  and  Thomas  Bonnett.  The  father  was  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  was  widely  and  favorably 
known  throughout  the  entire  county.  He  died  March  12,  1874,  and  his 
estimable  wife,  who  was  born  in  1800,  departed  this  life  in  1850. 

In  speaking  of  Frederick  B.  Underbill,  the  grandfather  of  Caleb  Fowler 
Underbill,  it  ought  to  be  said  that  he  was  for  many  years  a  vestryman  of  St. 
John's  church  at  Yonkers,  and  was  most  active  in  the  building  of  St.  John's 
chapel  at  Tuckahoe  in  the  j'ear  1798.  He  and  many  of  his  descendants  are 
buried  in  the  picturesque  little  glebe  that  surrounds  this  venerable  church, 
which  is  beautifully  situated  opposite  the  Underbill  homestead. 

At  the  old  ancestral  home  Caleb  Fowler  Underbill  spent  the  days  of  his 
boyhood  and  youth  and  early  became  familiar  with  all  the  duties  and  labors 
that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agriculturist.  He  acquired  his  education  in  dis- 
trict No.  5,  and  remained  at  his  parental  home  until  his  marriage,  in  1846, 
when  he  removed  to  the  town  of  New  Rochelle,  Westchester  county,  where 
he  carried  on  general  farming  until  1854,  when  he  returned  to  the  old  Under- 
bill homestead,  now  the  property  of  his  youngest  brother,  Thomas  B.,  and 
successfully  engaged  in  its  cultivation  until  1875.  He  still  resides  there  and 
has  one  of  the  old  historic  places  of  the  county.  A  part  of  the  house  was 
erected  more  than  a  hundred  years  ago,  but  it  has  been  enlarged  and 
adorned  with  extensive  verandas,  which  make  it  quite  modern  in  appear- 
ance. It  is  beautifuUysituated  on  a  knoll  and  commands  a  fine  view  of  Yonkers 
and  the  palisades  of  the  Hudson.  Its  splendid  location  near  the  river,  whose 
beauty  has  been  the  theme  of  musician  and  poet,  renders  it  a  most  attract- 
ive place,  and  its  picturesqueness  is  heightened  by  an  old  well,  with  two  oaken 
buckets,  one  of  which  ascends  while  the  other  descends,  bringing  up  the  pure 
and  sparkling  liquid. 

In  November,  1846,  Mr.  Underbill  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Emily 
Sherwood,  of  New  Rochelle.      She  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  that 


824  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

city,  being  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Susanna  Sherwood.  One  daughter, 
Susan  Jane,  who  died  in  childhood,  was  born  of  this  union,  and  one  son, 
Wilbur  Sherwood.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Underbill  are  earnest  and  consistent 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Tukahoe,  of  which  he  has 
been  a  trustee  sines  1862.  Their  charming  home  is  noted  for  its  hospitality 
and  they  have  the  warm  regard  of  many  friends. 

Prior  to  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  Mr.  Underbill  gave  his  political  sup- 
port to  the  Democratic  party,  but  when  the  country  became  engaged  in  civil 
strife  he  joined  the  ranks  of  the  party  which  stood  loyally  by  the  Union  and 
has  since  been  a  stalwart  Republican.  In  1875  he  was  appointed  assessor 
of  the  town  of  Yonkers,  and  has  filled  the  position  through  the  intervening 
years  up  to  the  present  time,  so  that  his  incumbency  covers  a  period  of  almost 
aquarter  of  a  century.  His  long  retention  in  office  stands  in  unmistakable 
proof  of  his  efficiency  and  the  confidence  and  trust  reposed  in  him  by  his 
fellow  citizens,  who  justly  regard  him  as  a  man  of  sterling  worth,  possesssing 
those  qualities  which  in  every  clime  command  respect. 

Wilbur  Sherwood  Underbill,  the  son  of  Caleb  F.,  has  been  connected  with 
the  Hodgman  rubber  works  at  Tuckahoe  since  1879.  He  is  a  vestryman 
of  St.  John's  church  at  Tuckahoe,  where  he  has  been  the  organist  for  over 
twenty  3'ears.  He  married  Jane  Odell  Dusenbury,  a  daughter  of  Charles  R. 
and  Emily  Dusenbury. 


THE  TODD   FAMILY, 

OF  SOMERS,    NEW  YORK. 


The  Todd  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  Westchester  county.  The  name 
is  an  altered  form  of  the  Scotch  word  "tod,"  which  means  fox.  With  a 
single  exception  the  Todds  have  all  come  from  the  highlands  of  Scotland. 
From  many  sources  data  of  the  family  history  have  been  collected,  and  one 
authority  says:  "The  original  name  of  the  Irish  Todds  is  O'Shanagh,  which 
is  Irish  for  fox.  An  early  English  parliament  compelled  the  Irish  to  assume 
the  English  names  and  thus  the  family  changed  the  name,  the  Leinster 
branch  taking  the  name  of  Fox,  and  the  northern  branch  that  of  Todd  or 
Wolfson,  which  has  since  been  corrupted  to  Wilson."  It  appears  from  this 
that  a  portion  of  the  Irish  Todds  are  of  Irish  origin,  but  all  other  Todds  are 
Scotch.  Several  times  representatives  of  the  name  have  come  to  the  shores 
of  the  New  World  from  Scotland.  Prominent  among  these  was  Adam  Todd, 
who  arrived  in  New  York  about  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century 
still  wearing  his  tartan  and  plaid.  His  descendants  have  intermarried  with 
the  Brevoorts,  the  Astors,  the  Sedj wicks  and  other  old  and  distinguished 
families  of  the  Empire  state. 


'^, 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  825 

There  was  also  an  emigration  of  the  Irish  Todds  of  whom  a  part  came 
originally  from  Scotland.  In  the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth  century  Hugh 
Todd  came  from  county  Antrim  and  settled  on  wild  land  in  the  interior  of 
Pennsylvania,  whence  his  descendants  removed  to  New  Jersey,  Carolina, 
Georgia  and  Kentucky.  It  was  into  a  branch  of  this  Irish  stock  that  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  married,  Mrs.  Lincoln  being  a  great-granddaughter  of  Robert 
Todd,  who  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  a  general  in  the  Revolutionary 
army.  Then  there  are  the  English  Todds,  who  have  come  to  this  country 
from  the  "merrieisle"  where  they  have  been  known  as  far  back  as  the 
eleventh  century.  They  seemed  to  have  setted  first  in  Yorkshire,  where  the 
name  is  common  to-day.  There  are  several  branches  of  the  Yorkshire  Todds 
in  America.  The  family  in  New  Haven  and  Westchester  county,  New  York, 
are  descended  from  one  of  these,  the  original  ancestor  being  Christopher 
Todd,  who  came  from  Pontefract,  West  Riding,  Yorkshire.  The  register 
of  the  old  parish  church  there  is  still  in  existence  and  contains  the  records  of 
his  marriage,  also  that  of  his  parents  and  grandparents. 

William  Todd,  of  Yorkshire,  England,  was  married,  September  25,  1592, 
to  Isabel  Rogerson.  They  had  a  son,  William,  who  was  born  in  Yorkshire, 
June  29,  1593,  and  died  in  May,  1617.  He  was  married.  May  22,  1614,  to 
Katharine  Brewster,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Isabeil  (Ward)  Brewster,  and 
they  had  two  children — Christopher  and   Mercy. 

Christopher  Todd  was  born  at  Pontefract,  West  Riding,  Yorkshire,  Jan- 
uary 12,  i6r7,  and  died  April  23,  i686.  He  was  but  twenty  years  of  age 
when,  with  his  wife,  Grace,  daughter  of  Michael  Middlebrook,  of  Hold  Mills, 
Yorkshire,  he  sailed  with  Mr.  Davenport's  company  on  the  Hector,  probably 
some  time  in  April.  It  required  about  two  months  to  make  the  voyage  in 
those  days,  and  anchor  was  dropped  in  Boston  harbor  June  26,  1637.  The 
prominence  of  "  the  famous  Mr.  Davenport  "  and  the  opulence  of  merchants 
who  accompanied  him  gave  to  this  company,  in  the  estimation  of  the  colo- 
nists, an  unusual  value  and  they  were  accorded  a  very  warm  welcome.  Most 
of  the  company  remained  in  Boston  or  vicinity  through  the  winter,  and  on  the 
30th  of  March,  1638,  the  greater  number  embarked  at  Boston  for  Quinnipiac, 
where  they  arrived  about  a  fortnight  later.  There  they  settled  and  for  some 
time,  under  a  compact  which  they  formed,  they  governed  themselves  by 
what  they  believed  to  be  the  Biblical  teaching.  Christopher  Todd  seems  to 
have  been  at  first  one  of  the  less  prominent  of  the  colonists.  He  signed  the 
"General  Agreement"  modestly,  with  his  mark,  and  quietly  took  his  allot- 
ment in  the  "Yorkshire  Quarters,"  and  when  the  "meeting-house"  was 
"dignified"  he  had  his  place  assigned  him,  not  in  one  of  the  honorable 
"middle  seats,"  but  in  the  "third  side  seat,"  though  "  Sister  Todd" — for 
±hey  worshiped  in  those  days  "the  men  apart  and  their  wives  apart" — was 


826  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

a  little  more  fortunate.  It  was  not  long,  however,  before  Christopher  Todd 
began  to  make  another  kind  of  mark.  He  bought  a  gristmill,  the  first 
erected  in  New  Haven,  and  it  was  long  known  as  Todd's  mill,  and  after  1798 
passed  into  the  possession  of  Eli  Whitney,  who  erected  there  the  first  estab- 
lishment in  America  for  manufacturing  fire-arms.  "The  record  of  the  gen- 
eral court  "  shows  that  he  was  "  a  continually  adding  to  his  real  estate." 
He  even  rose  to  the  dignity  of  a  "  viewer  of  fences."  He  bought  an  acre 
and  a  half  of  ground  on  Elm  street,  between  Church  and  Orange  streets, 
subsequently  known  as  the  "Blue  Meeting  House  lot,"  where  St.  Thomas 
church  now  stands,  and  there  resided.  The  place  remained  in  possession  of 
the  family  for  a  hundred  years.  Christopher  and  Grace  (Middlebrook)  Todd 
had  six  children. 

Samuel  Todd,  the  second  of  the  family,  was  born  in  New  Haven  April 
29,  1645,  and  died  in  April,  1714.  He  succeeded  his  father  in  the  gristmill 
and  carried  on  the  business  for  many  years.  He  was  "  propounded  ".for 
freeman  in  1670  and  proprietor  in  1685.  He  was  married  November  26, 
1668,  to  Mary  Bradley,  a  daughter  of  William  Bradley  and  his  wife,  Abigail 
or  Alice  ne'e  Pritchard.  Mary  (Bradley)  Todd  died  September  26,  1724. 
By  her  marriage  to  Samuel  Todd  she  became  the  mother  of  eleven  children. 

Jonah  Todd,  the  seventh  of  the  family,  was  born  in  New  Haven  Febru- 
ary 16,  1684,  and  died  August  29,  1730.  He  was  married  April  20,  1709, 
to  Hannah  Clark,  who  was  born  April  6,  1685,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Hannah  (Tuttle)  Clark  and  a  granddaughter  of  Samuel  and  Hannah  (Ford- 
ham)  Clark. 

Abraham  Todd,  the  only  child  of  Jonah  and  Hannah  Todd,  was  born  in 
New  Haven,  February  18,  1710,  and  died  December  17,  1772.  He  studied 
theology  and  was  a  graduate  of  Yale  College  of  the  class  of  1727.  Although 
but  seventeen  years  of  age  he  was  married  that  year,  November  20,  1727, 
to  Hannah  Dickerman,  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Elizabeth  (Glover)  Dicker- 
man,  and  granddaughter  of  Lieutenant  Abraham  and  Mary  (Cooper)  Dick- 
erman, and  great-granddaughter  of  Thomas  and  Ellen  Dickerman,  of  Rev. 
Mather's  company.  In  June,  1732,  Rev.  Abraham  Todd  was  invited  by  the 
Episcopal  church  in  Derby,  Connecticut,  to  the  pastorate  at  that  place,  but 
just  previously  had  accepted  a  call  from  the  Second  Congregational  Society, 
of  the  West  church,  at  Horse  Neck,  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  which  stood 
on  the  hill  afterward  made  famous  by  Putnam's  desperate  ride.  He  was 
duly  installed  the  following  year.  "  In  1769  the  society  by  vote  impowered 
Mr.  Todd  to  desire  one  or  more  persons  to  tune  the  psalm  as  he  shall  see 
proper."  It  is  related  that  during  his  ministry  many  of  his  hearers  were 
outspoken  men,  even  expressing  themselves  pubhcly  during  worship  as  to  the 
merits  or  demerits  of  the  doctrine  advanced.     Among  this  class  of  persons 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  827 

was  one  Palmer,  who  was  present  during  the  service  on  an  occasion  when  an 
Indian  missionary  preached  to  Mr.  Todd's  congregation.  He  preached 
fluently,  and  we  presume  well,  and  so  great  an  impression  did  his  logic  and 
eloquence  make  upon  Palmer  that  he  exclaimed  at  the  close  of  the  sermon 
with  great  vehemence,  "Let's  swap  Todd  and  buy  the  Injun;  he  does  a 
good  deal  the  best."  Mr.  Todd  himself  was  present,  but  whether  he  thought 
it  so  much  the  greater  compliment  to  the  Indian  or  a  low  estimate  of  his  own 
powers,  we  are  not  informed.  His  death  occurred  in  1773,  after  a  pastorate 
of  forty  years.  He  had  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  his  people,  adding  many 
to  his  flock.  Of  his  character,  the  duration  of  his  ministerial  office  over  a 
single  church  is  perhaps  a  sufficient  indication.  His  wife  was  the  presidefnt 
of  an  association  whose  purpose  was  to  provide  clothing  for  the  soldiers  in 
the  French  and  Indian  war.  Her  death  occurred  June  21,  1777.  They  had 
eight  children. 

Oliver  Todd,  their  seventh  child,  was  born  October  25,  1748,  in  Green- 
wich, Connecticut,  and  died  July  25,  1814.  He  was  married  July  25,  1768, 
to  Lydia  Close,  who  was  born  October  5,  1747,  and  died  April  27,  1825. 
They  had  four  children, — Fannie,  Ira,  Huldah  and  Uel.  Oliver  Todd  and 
his  brother  moved  with  their  wives  to  South  Salem,  New  York,  when  the 
British  occupied  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  during  the  Revolutionary  war,  set- 
tling on  lands  now  owned  by  Squire  George  Todd.  Oliver  Todd  served  in 
Colonel  Crane's  regiment  in  the  American  army,  and  thus  loyally  fought  for 
the  cause  of  freedom.  He  and  his  wife  are  buried  in  the  old  Todd  burying- 
ground  on  the  farm.  He  left  a  will,  giving  to  his  wife  "  the  use  of  one-third 
of  all  my  lands  and  buildings  as  the  law  directs,  also  I  give  and  bequeath  unto 
my  said  wife  the  household  furniture  and  her  clothing  to  do  as  she  thinks 
proper  with;  and  I  also  give  to  my  said  wife  the  choice  of  one  horse  and  four 
cows."  To  his  sons  he  gave  his  land,  and  to  his  daughters  one  thousand 
dollars  each  and  made  Abraham  Todd  and  his  two  sons  his  executors. 

His  son,  Uel  Todd,  was  born  May  2,  1782,  in  South  Salem,  New  York, 
and  died  February  27,  1852.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  with  his 
family  he  removed  in  181 2  to  the  farm  owned  by  his  father,  in  the  town  of 
Somers,  near  Whitehall  Corners.  His  father,  dying  in  18 14,  left  him  this 
farm  as  a  part  of  his  share  of  the  estate.  He  married  Laura  Mead,  daughter 
of  Enoch  Mead,  of  Revolutionary  fame.  She  was  born  January  22,  1783, 
and  died  July  26,  1814,  leaving  seven  children.  He  afterward  married  Mrs. 
Jane  Baker  Teed,  widow  of  Samuel  Teed  and  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Baker, 
of  Somers,  New  York.  She  was  born  April  29,  1787,  and  died  May  22,  1828, 
leaving  seven  children.  For  his  third  wife  Uel  Todd  chose  Betsey  Baker 
Purdy,  a  sister  of  his  second  wife.  She  survived  him.  Uel  Todd  owned 
property  in  Greenburg,  New  York,  and  resided  there  at  one  time.      He  died. 


828  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

in    1852   and   was    buried    in    the   Todd    family  cemetery,    near    Whitehall 
Corners. 

Harvey  Mead  Todd,  the  eldest  child  of  Uel  and  Laura  (Mead)  Todd,  was 
born  in  Lewisboro,  New  York,  January  2,  1803,  and  died  December  21, 
1 88 1.  He  acquired  his  education  in  the  district  school  of  Somers,  to  which 
town  the  family  removed  in  18 12.  At  an  early  age  he  put  aside  his  text- 
books and  took  up  farm  work,  carrying  on  agricultural  pursuits  until  his 
death.  His  farm  was  on  the  old  turnpike  road,  two  and  a  half  miles  from 
Somers  village,  known  as  the  Micah  Purdy  farm,  which  he  bought  from  his 
father.  His  residence  stands  on  a  high  elevation  some  distance  west  from 
the  highway,  and  is  a  handsome  structure,  commanding  a  splendid  view  of 
the  Plum  Brook  valley,  the  undulating  farms  of  eastern  Somers  and  the  dis- 
tant hills  of  Connecticut.  Surrounding  the  mansion  are  an  ample  lawn  and 
the  cultivated  fields  of  a  rich  and  extensive  farm.  Harvey  Mead  Todd  was 
a  plain,  unostentatious  man,  upright  and  straightforward  in  every  transac- 
tion. By  his  steady  industry  he  won  a  large  fortune  and  obtained  for  him- 
self a  representative  place  in  the  community  in  which  he  lived.  He  was  a 
director  of  the  Farmers  and  Drovers'  Bank  at  Somers.  February  11,  1827, 
he  married  Miss  Esther  Warren  Nelson,  daughter  of  William  and  Catherine 
(Green)  Nelson,  and  granddaughter  of  Absalom  and  Esther  (Warren)  Nel- 
son, and  a  great-great-great-granddaughter  of  John  and  Hendrica  (Vander 
Vleecht)  Nelson,  of  ye  Flatlands.  Absalom  Nelson  served  in  Colonel  Lud- 
dington's  regiment,  Crane's  company,  in  the  war  for  independence.  Mrs. 
Todd  was  born  November  8,  1808,  and  died  May  i,  1883.  Four  children 
were  born  to  them:  William  Nelson;  Augustus  E.,  who  was  born  May 
18,  1830,  and  died  November  26,  1830;  Edgar  A.,  who  was  born  Novem- 
ber 6,  1833,  and  died  May  6,  1836;  and  Laura  Josephine,  born  October 
I,  1845. 

William  Nelson  Todd  was  born  in  Somers,  March  11,  1828,  and  is  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  He  was  married  October  10,  1855,  to  Jane  Elizabeth 
Wilson,  who  was  born  October  22,  1826,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Jane 
(Purdy)  Wilson  and  granddaughter  of  Samuel  and  Charity  (Rogers)  Wilson. 
Her  grandfather  served  in  Colonel  Drake's  regiment  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  William  N.  Todd  purchased  from  his  father-in-law's  heirs  the  estate 
known  as  the  Wilson  farm  and  made  his  home  thereon  until  1880,  when  he 
purchased  the  Crane  estate,  north  of  Somers,  where  he  now  resides.  In 
connection  with  agricultural  pursuits  he  has  served  as  the  vice-president  of 
the  Farmers  and  Drovers'  Bank,  of  Somers,  for  a  long  period,  and  for  many 
years  has  been  a  town  officer,  discharging  his  duties  with  marked  promptness 
and  fidelity.  In  1888  he  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife,  who 
<iied  on  the  23d  of  March  of  that  year.     They  were  the  parents  of  six  chil- 


'^ 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  829- 

dren:  Charles  Yates,  who  was  born  July  17,  1856,  and  died  May  i,  1857; 
Isabella  M.,  who  was  born  December  15,  1857,  and  died  May  12,  1879;  Wil- 
nettie,  "Wilson  G.,  George  E.  and  Eleanor  Blanche,  all  yet  living. 


EDWIN  F.   STUDWELL. 


Captain  Edwin  Francis  Studwell,  one  of  the  most  popular  and  influen- 
tial citizens  of  Port  Chester,  New  York,  is  now  the  efficient  superintendent 
and  manager  of  the  Port  Chester  Transportation  Company,  with  which  he  has 
been  identified  for  many  years.  As  a  business  man  he  has  been  enterprising, 
energetic  and  always  abreast  of  the  times,  and  the  success  that  has  come  to 
him  is  certainly  well  deserved. 

Born  in  Greenwich  township,  Fairfield  county,  Connecticut,  April  8, 
1843,  Captain  Studwell  is  a  son  of  George  O.  and  Joanna  Studwell,  the 
former  also  a  native  of  Greenwich,  and  the  latter  of  Harrison  township, 
Westchester  county.  New  York,  born  near  Rye.  The  Studwell  family  is  one 
of  the  oldest  in  the  New  World,  having  been  founded  here  as  early  as  1640. 
It  is  probable  that  our  subject's  grandfather,  Solomon  Studwell,  was  also  a 
native  of  Greenwich  township,  Fairfield  county,  Connecticut.  He  was  a 
shoemaker  and  farmer  by  occupation,  and  died  at  about  the  age  of  seventy- 
five  years.  The  father  was  a  seafaring  man,  beginning  his  marine  life  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  years,  and  following  the  water  in  the  transient  freight  business 
on  Long  Island  Sound  until  his  retirement  from  all  business  cares  at  the  age  of 
seventy.  He  then  made  his  home  in  Port  Chester,  New  York,  where  he  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty.  Prior  to  i860  he  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but  later 
gave  his  support  to  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Republican  party.  He  was 
only  fairly  successful  in  a  business  way,  but  his  life  was  such  as  to  win  for 
him  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  His 
wife  died  at  the  age  of  fifty  years,  leaving  seven  children. 

At  the  early  age  of  ten  years,  Captain  Studwell,  of  this  review,  began 
clerking  in  a  grocery  store  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  but  continued  to  attend 
the  public  schools  during  the  winter  months  for  a  few  years.  His  next  em- 
ployment was  in  a  store  at  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  where  he  remained  for 
two  years,  and  then  shipped  as  boy  and  deck  hand  on  a  sloop  running  out  of 
Stamford,  Connecticut,  remaining  on  her  about  a  year.  On  the  ist  of 
March,  i860,  he  came  to  Port  Chester,  New  York,  and  entered  the  service 
of  the  company  of  which  he  is  now  superintendent  and  manager.  When  the 
company  was  organized  under  the  style  of  the  Port  Chester  Transporta- 
tion Company,  he  was  elected  secretary  and  treasurer;  has  always  served  as 
manager,  and  was  also  captain  of  the  steamer   Glenville  until    1897.      In  his 


880  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

hands  the  business  has  steadily  grown,  and  the  firm  is  one  of  the  most  reha- 
ble  in  this  section. 

Captain  Studwell  married  Miss  Mary  Anna  Ferris,  daughter  of  John 
Ferris,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  six  children — four  sons  and  two 
daughters,  namely:  Nettie;  Edwin  A.,  secretary  of  the  Port  Chester  Trans- 
portation Company;  Nelson  F. ;  Mabel  E. ;  Chester  A. ,  who  is  attending  Dart- 
mouth College,    and  Lester  W.,  at  school   in  Stamford,  Connecticut. 

Captain  Studwell  has  ever  been  a  loyal  citizen,  co-operating  in  all  that 
is  calculated  to  promote  the  interests  of  city,  state  or  county.  His  political 
support' has  always  been  given  to  the  Republican  party.  He  has  always  kept 
well  informed  on  the  issues  and  questions  of  the  day,  and  taken  quite  an 
active  part  in  local  affairs,  but  has  never  sought  political  preferment,  though 
often  solicited  to  become  a  candidate  for  office.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Royal  Arcanum;  was  first  assistant  of  the  fire  department  for  eight  years, 
and  is  now  serving  as  chief;  and  he  is  also  the  secretary  of  Port  Chester 
Savings  Bank. 

CORNELIUS  VAN  TASSEL. 

Lieutenant  Cornelius  Van  Tassel,  of  the  South  Battalion  of  Westches- 
ter County  Militia,  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  the  noted  Van  Texel  family  of 
Holland,  John  Cornelius  Van  Texel  being  one  of  the  first  to  emigrate  when 
it  was  decided  to  occupy  and  settle  New  Netherland.  He  married,  shortly 
after  his  arrival,  the  daughter  of  an  Indian  chief,  at  Eider's  Neck  (now 
Huntington,  Long  Island),  and  one  son  was  born,  who  was  named  after  his 
father  and  baptized  in  the  year  1650,  in  the  Dutch  church  erected  within 
Fort  Amsterdam,  upon  Manhattan  island.  This  son  afterward  settled  in  the 
Indian  town  of  Accamacpo,  in  the  county  of  Westchester,  and  his  farm 
lands  'comprised  nearly  all  of  the  present  village  of  Sing  Sing.  He  was 
appointed  tax  collector,  and  for  a  number  of  years  prior  to  the  year  170Q 
paid  the  taxes  collected  from  this  particular  town  to  Childe  Brook,  the 
colonial  treasurer.  Of  his  family,  consisting  of  several  sons  and  daughters, 
all  became  members  of  the  Dutch  church  at  Sleepy  Hollow,  and  are  num- 
bered among  the  earliest  supporters  of  that  ancient  congregation.  Their 
father  having  died  about  the  year  1703,  the  colonial  government  gave  them, 
in  1705,  a  grant  of  land,  four  miles  by  six  in  size,  at  Eider's  Neck,  Long 
Island,  in  right  of  their  grandmother,  who  had  received  the  same  through 
her  tribal  relations.  They  continued,  however,  to  reside  in  Westchester 
county. 

Cornelius,  the  eldest  son,  and  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
became  a  tenant  upon  Phillips  Manor,  which  farm  was  afterward  occupied 
by  his  son   Dirk,  and   after  his   death   by   Lieutenant   Cornelius,  who  was 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  831 

-appointed  an  officer  of  the  provincial  congress  and  assigned  to  tlie  Tarry- 
town  company, — this  being  September  2,  1775,  the  first  and  earliest  mention 
of  the  name  in  Tarrytown  yet  discovered.  The  adjoining  farm  on  the  south 
was  occupied  by  Peter  Van  Tassel,  a  member  of  the  county  committee  of 
safety  for  the  year  1777,  while  that  on  the  west  extended  to  the  Hudson 
river  and  was  occupied  by  Captain  Jacob  Van  Tassel.  It  was  also  the  head- 
quarters of  the  water  guard,  which  Irving  has  made  famous  in  his  Wolfert's 
Roost, — the  present  Sunny  Side. 

The  enforcement  of  the  enrollment  act,  that  required  each  militia  pre- 
cinct to  include  all  Whigs,  Tories,  sick,  lame,  lazy  and  distressed,  of  sixteen 
years  of  age  and  upward,  to  do  military  duty,  devolved  principally  upon  the 
members  of  the  committee  of  safety.  In  order  to  encourage  enlistments  in 
the  British  service.  Governor  Tryon,  in  command  at  King's  Bridge,  deter- 
mined to  capture  and  imprison  every  committeeman  that  could  be  found,  and 
directed,  on  November  17,  1777,  Captains  Emmerick  and  Barnes,  of  his  cav- 
alry, to  carry  out  his  instructions.  They  succeeded  in  taking  Peter  and 
Lieutenant  Cornelius  prisoners,  after  burning  their  dwellings  and  barns. 
Their  hands  were  tied  to  their  horses'  tails,  and  in  this  manner  were  com- 
pelled to  drive  their  stock  of  cattle  to  the  British  camp,  while  their  families 
were  left  to  care  for  themselves  as  well  as  they  could.  Several  of  Lieu- 
tenant Van  Tassel's  neighbors,  under  direction  of  Abraham  Martling,  a  Con- 
tinental soldier,  who  resided  upon  a  portion  of  his  farm,  a  few  nights  after- 
ward proceeded  to  New  York  and  burned  Lieutenant-Governor  Delancy's 
house,  in  retaliation  for  this  offense. 

There  being  no  arrangement  made  between  the  opposing  military  forces 
for  the  exchange  of  civilian  prisoners,  the  Van  Tassels  were  compelled  to 
remain  confined  in  the  provost  gaol  (jailj  some  eleven  months,  as  the  British 
authorities  supposed  they  were  civilians,  and  declined  to  entertain  the  fre- 
quent requests  made  for  their  discharge.  They  were  finally  released,  and  re- 
turned to  the  vicinity  of  their  former  homes,  the  ruins  of  which  did  not  quench 
their-ardor  to  re-enlist  in  the  cause  of  liberty.  Nowhere  within  the  limits  of 
the  neutral  ground  did  loyalty  find  or  possess  truer  patriotism.  Out  of  thirty- 
nine  members  of  the  Van  Tassel  family  that  were  engaged  in  the  mihtary 
service,  sixteen  were  connected  with  the  South  Battalion  of  Westchester 
county  militia,  and  around  the  charred  remains  of  the  former  home  of  Lieu- 
tenant Van  Tassel  many  sanguinary  encounters  with  the  enemy  took  place. 
The  bodies  of  six  Hessian  soldiers  are  still  interred  upon  a  portion  of  his 
late  farm.  General  Washington's  headquarters,  during  the  summer  of  1780, 
was  at  the  house  of  Joseph  Appleby,  a  second  lieutenant  of  Lieutenant 
Van  Tassel's  company. 

About  one  mile  distant  General  Rochambeau,  commanding  the  French 


832  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

forces,  had  his  headquarters,  which  house,  at  this  date  (1899),  is  still  stand- 
ing. Brick  ovens  were  constructed  in  front  of  the  army  to  deceive  the 
enemy,  while  General  Washington  caused  deceptive  letters  to  be  sent  out, 
that  they  might  fall  into  the  hands  of  General  Clinton,  in  order  to  make  him 
believe  the  American  forces  were  making  permanent  preparations  to  remain 
during  the  winter.  His  local  militia  were  valuable  aids  in  carrying  out  his 
plan  of  capturing  Lord  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown. 

Lieutenant  Van  Tassel,  previous  to  the  Revolution,  was  one  of  the  most 
extensive  and  well-to-do  farmers  of  the  locality,  and,  although  he  lost  every- 
thing by  the  ravages  of  war,  including  his  only  son,  who  was  a  celebrated 
rifleman,  he  managed,  at  its  close,  to  purchase  from  the  commissioners  of 
forfeiture  the  farm  occupied  by  his  ancestors,  and  recuperated  from  his  severe 
losses.  He  contributed  liberally  to  his  neighbors  and  friends,  and  toward 
the  establishment  of  churches  and  schools,  and  lived  to  see  them  firmly 
established.  

JOHN  C.  SHOTTS. 

Among  the  "  boys  in  blue"  who  followed  the  starry  banner  upon  south- 
ern battle-fields  and  vindicated  the  honor  and  strength  of  our  national  govern- 
ment, and  struck  the  shackles  from  three  millions  of  slaves,  none  is  more  popu- 
lar among  his  fellow  soldiers  than  John  C.  Shotts,  of  Yonkers.  He  is  to-day 
an  acknowledged  leader  in  the  Grand  Army  circles  of  the  east,  and  in  fact  is 
well  known  among  the  members  of  the  order  throughout  the  country.  With 
a  heart  and  mind  responsive  to  all  that  is  patriotic  and  loyal,  he  advocates 
every  measure  that  will  promote  the  welfare  of  the  nation  and  is  especially 
active  in  his  labors  in  behalf  of  the  valiant  men  who  stood  by  the  country  in 
the  dark  hour  of  peril  and  braved  danger  and  death  until  the  army  victorious 
had  planted  the  stars  and  stripes  in  the  capital  of  the  southern  Confederacy. 

Mr.  Shotts  was  born  at  West  Farms,  Westchester  county.  New  York, 
August  II,  1844,  spent  his  boyhood  days  under  the  parental  roof,  and  in  his 
seventeenth  year  responded  to  his  country's  call  for  aid.  The  smoke  from 
Fort  Sumter's  guns  had  scarcely  cleared  away  when  he  offered  his  services  to 
the  nation,  enlisting  at  Yonkers,  April  16,  1861.  He  was  mustered  into  the 
United  States  service  for  two  years,  in  New  York  city.  May  22,  as  a  private 
of  Company  A,  Seventeenth  Regiment  of  New  York  Volunteers.  The  regi- 
ment was  composed  of  companies  enlisted  in  different  counties  of  the  state, 
was  sent  to  a  camp  on  Staten  island  and  H.  S.  Lansing  was  commissioned 
its  colonel.  On  the  21st  of  June  they  went  to  Camp  Mansfield,  at  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  where  they  remained  until  July  15,  when  they  were  ordered  to 
Fort  Ellsworth,  at  Alexandria,  Virginia,  and  assisted  in  covering  the  retreat 
of  the  army  from  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run.      In  August,  while  in  command 


John  C.  Shotts. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  S38 

of  an  advance  picket  post  about  five  miles  above  Fairfax  Seminary,  Mr. 
Sfiotts  captured  the  first  rebel  spy  of  note  taken  during  the  war,  giving  him 
over  to  the  charge  of  Colonel  Baker,  chief  of  the  secret-service  division,  who. 
thanked  Mr.  Shotts  most  earnestly  and  commended  him  for  his  watchfulness 
while  on  duty. 

On  the  isth  of  October,  1861,  the  Seventeenth  New  York  Regiment  was 
assigned  to  General  Daniel  Butterfield's  brigade.  General  Fitz  John  Porter's 
division,  and  went  into  winter  quarters  at  Hall's  Hill.  On  the  13th  of 
March,  1862,  the  brigade  and  division  were  placed  in  the  Third  Corps  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  on  the  14th  day  of  May  were  transferred  to  the 
Fifth  Army  Corps,  commanded  by  Major-General  Fitz  John  Porter.  When 
the  army  left  Hall's  Hill,  the  Seventeenth  New  York  went  to  Fortress  Mon- 
roe and  was  encamped  at  Hampton  Roads,  from  which  point  ii  was  sent  on 
a  number  of  reconnoitering  expeditions,  and  on  one  of  them  had  a  sharp 
skirmish  with  General  Magruder's  forces  at  Big  Bethel,  where  several  men 
were  killed  and  wounded.  On  the  way  to  the  siege  of  Y6rktown  the  regi- 
ment led  the  advance  of  the  right  of  the  army.  At  the  battle  of  Hanover 
Court  House,  Company  A  captured  a  brass  cannon  belonging  to  Latham's 
celebrated  New  Orleans  battery,  it  being  the  first  cannon  captured  by  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  in  an  engagement.  Mr.  Shotts,  who  was  on  the 
skirmish  line,  was  one  of  the  first  to  reach  the  cannon  and  claim  it  for  his 
company  and  regiment.  On  the  26th  of  June  the  Seventeenth  New  York 
and  Eighteenth  Massachusetts  Regiments,  with  two  flying  batteries  of  artillery 
and  a  squadron  of  cavalry,  constituted  the  entire  force  under  General  Stone- 
man  when  he  made  that  hasty,  timely  and  terrible  march  to  protect  the  army 
supplies  at  the  White  House  against  the  advance  of  Stonewall  Jackson.  On 
the  night  of  June  30  Company  A  was  the  last  to  leave  that  place  after  burn- 
ing the  supplies  which  set  fire  to  and  destroyed  the  White  House,  which  was 
the  Lee  residence  where  George  Washington  first  met  Mrs.  Martha  Custis, 
who  became  his  wife  and  the  first  lady  of  the  land. 

The  forces  just  mentioned  went  on  board  the  gunboat  Marblehead  and 
were  attacked  by  two  flying  batteries  of  Stonewall  Jackson's  artillery  and  his 
sharpshooters.  After  a  hard  fight  both  batteries  were  disabled  with  heavy 
loss.  The  gunboat  headed  for  Fortress  Monroe,  and  from  there,  the  regi- 
ment was  ordered  to  Harrison's  Landing  on  the  transport  steamer  Knicker- 
bocker, which  on  her  return  trip  sank  in  Cheseapeake  bay,  opposite  Point 
Lookout.  The  regiment  was  ordered,  with  orders  of  the  Fifth  Army  Corps, 
to  join  General  Pope's  army  in  the  second  Bull  Run  campaign.  At  the  bat- 
tle of  Bull  Run,  four  color-bearers  lost  their  lives  in  defense  of  the  flag,  but 
the  starry  banner  was  saved  and  rigged  to  a  new  staff  and  was  returned  to  the 
common  council  of  New  York  city  as  a  proof  of  the  valor  of  the  regiment, 
53 


834  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

which  lost  over  two  hundred  men  out  of  five  hundred  and  fifty  who  went  into 
the  battle.  The  regiment  later  participated  in  the  Antietam  and  Fredericks- 
burg campaigns  and  afterward  went  into  camp  at  Falmouth.  The  Seven- 
teenth New  York  was  also  in  the  Burnside  "mud  march, "  January  19-21. 
On  the  27th  of  April  these  troops  participated  in  the  Chancellorsville  cam- 
paign and  then  returned  to  the  old  camp.  At  the  battle  of  Grovetbn,  General 
Butterfield  complimented  his  men  and  spoke  of  the  splendid  advance  of  the 
brigade  led  by  the  Seventeenth  and  Forty-fourth  New  York  Regiments. 

Mr.  Shotts  participated  in  the  following  battles:  siege  of  Yorktown,  April 
5  to  May  4,  1862;  Mechanicsville,  May  22;  Hanover  Court  House,  May  27; 
Cold  Harbor  and  White  House,  June  28-29;  Bull  Run,  August  30;  Grove- 
ton;  Chantilly;  Antietam,  September  17;  Shepardstown,  September  20; 
Fredericksburg,  December  11-15;  Richard's  Ford,  December  30-31;  and 
Chancellorsville,  May  1-4,  1863.  He  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  at 
New  York,  June  2,  1863,  his  term  having  expired. 

After  his  return  to  the  north  Mr.  Shotts  established  a  market  in  Yonkers 
and  carried  on  business  in  that  line  for  many  years,  meeting  with  good  suc- 
cess in  his  undertakings.  Since  1883  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  wholesale 
commission  business,  operating  three  refrigerator  houses.^at  Yonkers,  Tar- 
rytown  and  Mount  Vernon,  respectively.  He  represents  Armour  &  Com- 
pany and  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  one  of  the  first  commission  agents 
for  that  house.  His  business  has  grown  to  extensive  proportions,  and  he  is 
now  conducting  the  largest  trade  of  the  kind  in  Westchester  county,  furnish- 
ing employment  to  twenty-five  men,  while  his  sales  annually  reach  a  large 
sum.  He  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  substantial  and  reliable  business 
men  of  Yonkers,  possesses  great  energy  and  perseverance  and  follows  pro- 
gressive and  enterprising  business  methods. 

In  the  public  affairs  of  the  city  he  has  taken  a  deep  interest  and  has 
labored  earnestly  for  the  advancement  of  its  greatest  good.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  city  board  of  water  commissioners  from  1888  until  1893,  and  since 
that  time  has  served  as  president  of  the  board,  occupying  the  incumbency 
for  the  second  time  at  this  writing.  He  is  a  member  of  the  City  Club,  now 
serving  his  third  term  as  its  president.  He  is  a  valued  representative  of  many 
of  the  social  organizations,  belonging  to  the  Palisade  Boat  Club,  to  Nep- 
perhan  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  the  Yonkers  Turn  Verein  and  a  member  and  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  Exempt  Firemen's  Association,  having  served  for  five 
years  in  the  Lady  .Washington  Hose  Company.  Politically  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican and  for  many  years  has  been  a  member  and  chairman  of  the  city 
organization,  besides  having  been  a  delegate  to  various  state  and  other  polit- 
ical conventions  and  chairman  of  the  Republican  general  committee. 

Mr.  Shotts   has  been  twice   married.     On  the  ist  of   March,  1868,  he 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  835 

wedded    Miss   Ida   Kuster,  who   died   September  5,   1877,  and  on  the  28th  of 
April,   1 88 1,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  M.  Smith. 

While  Mr.  Shotts  is  widely  and  favorably  known  in  social  circles,  is 
regarded  as  a  leader  in  political  affairs,  and  is  accounted  one  of  the  lead- 
ing and  reliable  business  men  of  Yonkers,  he  is  probably  best  known  in 
connection  with  his  work  in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  Retching  Post,  No.  60,  since  1879,  was  elected  its  com- 
mander in  1880,  and  in  1886  was  again  elected  to  the  position,  serving  for 
eight  consecutive  terms.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  National  Encampment 
at  Milwaukee  in  1888,  at  Detroit  in  1891,  and  Washington  in  1892.  He  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  state  council  of  administration  in  1893,  ^^^  was 
department  commander  of  New  York  from  February  28,  1894,  to  May  15, 
1895.  He  has  been  chairman  of  the  Yonkers  memorial  committee,  and  the 
fidelity  with  which  he  has  ever  discharged  his  duties  in  connection  with  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  he  traveled  twenty- 
two  thousand  miles  and  met  the  friendly  hand-clasp  of  twenty  thousand  com- 
rades. His  sympathy  for  the  private  soldier  has  led  him  to  perform  much 
active  service  for  them  in  the  halls  of  legislation,  and  his  labors  have  not 
been  without  good  results.  At  the  national  convention  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic  in  Cincinnati,  in  1898,  he  was  a  prominent  candidate  for 
commander.  He  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  popular  members  of  the 
order  in  the  east,  and  without  exception  has  done  more,  spent  more  time  and 
money,  for  the  welfare  of  the  organization  than  any  other  man  in  the  coun- 
try, and  contributed  fully  as  much.  The  honor  of  an  election  to  the  highest 
office  within  the  gift  of  his  comrades  will  undoubtedly  be  conferred  upon 
him  at  no  very  distant  date,  and  it  will  be  well  merited  and  worthily  worn. 


ISAAC  W.  TURNER. 


Isaac  W.  Turner,  who  is  now  serving  his  third  term  as  a  member  of  the 
board  of  county  supervisors  of  Westchester  county  and  who  is  regarded  as 
one  of  its  most  able  members,  was  born  at  Norwich,  Connecticut,  April  29, 
1854.  He  attended  the  common  schools  there,  also  the  Norwich  Free 
Academy,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  entered  upon  an  independent  busi- 
ness career  as  clerk  in  a  drug  store.  He  was  thus  employed  for  sixteen 
years,  part  of  the  time  in  his  native  town  and  part  of  the  time  in' New  York 
city,  and  finally  entered  that  business  on  his  own  account  in  Jersey  City, 
where  he  conducted  his  store  with  good  success  for  six  years.  On  the  expira- 
tion of  that  period  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  hotel  business  in  New  York 
city  and  subsequently  established  the  Mutual  Steam  Laundry  at  Nos.  524- 
531   Twenty-fourth   street,  New   York.      He   has   since  been  secretary   and 


836  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

treasurer  of  the  company,  which  is  now  doing  an  immense  business,  employ- 
ing one  hundred  and  forty  hands.  The  Mutual  has  the  reputation  of  being 
one  of  the  best  laundries  in  New  York,  and  hence  a  very  liberal  patronage  is 
accorded  it.  In  the  establishment  of  a  business  where  competition  is  rife  it 
is  often  difficult  to  gain  prosperity,  but  this  Mr.  Turner  has  done.  He  en- 
tered upon  his  business  career  in  the  humble  capacity  of  clerk,  but  steadily 
he  has  worked  his  way  upward  and  in  the  legitimate  channels  of  trade  he  has 
acquired  a  handsome  competence,  overcoming  all  difficulties  and  obstacles 
by  determined  purpose  and  undaunted  energy. 

Although  identified  with  the  industrial  life  of  the  metropolis,  Mr.  Turner 
makes  his  home  at  a  beautiful  summer  residence  two  and  a  half  miles  east  of 
the  village  of  Katonah,  Westchester  county,  and  is  one  of  the  leading  citizens 
of  the  community.  He  married  a  daughter  of  James  F.  Merritt,  one  of  the 
leading  agriculturists  of  the  county. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Turner  has  always  been  a  stalwart  Democrat, 
and  on  that  ticket  was  elected  supervisor  for  the  town  of  Bedford  in  1893. 
Since  that  time  he  has  been  twice  re-elected  and  is  the  first  Democrat  of  the 
town  that  has  ever  filled  the  position  for  three  successive  terms.  Bedford 
usually  gives  a  Republican  majority  of  two  hundred  and  his  election  is  cer- 
tainly a  tribute  to  his  personal  worth  and  an  indication  of  the  confidence 
reposed  in  him  by  his  fellow  townsmen.  During  the  past  six  years  he  has 
been  a  leading  member  of  the  board  of  supervisors  and  has  served  on  some 
of  the  most  important  committees,  among  them  being  the  committee  in 
charge  of  the  poor,  the  asylums  and  the  almshouses.  He  was  instrumental 
in  securing  the  new  improvements  at  the  county  farm  and  it  was  through  his 
efforts  that  the  new  hospital  was  built  and  put  in  operation,  he  obtaining  an 
appropriation  for  carrying  on  the  work.  He  has  also  served  on  many  other 
important  committees,  and  has  ever  discharged  his  duties  with  credit  to  him- 
self and  satisfaction  to  his  constituents.  For  many  years  he  has  been  an 
active  factor  in  political  circles,  and  in  1889  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace, 
serving  until  1892,  when  he  entered  upon  his  campaign  for  supervisor, 
against  Edward  Carpenter,  of  Mount  Kisco.  Although  he  ran  ahead  of  his 
ticket  he  was  defeated  on  account  of  the  town  being  largely  Republican;  but 
in  1893  he  was  successful  in  the  race,  and  so  ably  has  he  served  his  fellow 
townsmen  that  he  has  since  been  continued  in  office.  He  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  -Democratic  county  committee,  served  for  one  year  as  its  secretary, 
and  in  1895  was  made  its  chairman. 

Mr.  Turner  is  not  only  well  known  in  Westchester  county,  but  also  has 
an  extended  acquaintance  in  New  York  and  Jersey  City.  He  is  a  prominent 
Mason,  belonging  to  Hugh  De  Payen  Commandery  and  the  New  Jersey  Con- 
sistory, of  Jersey  City,  and  Mecca  Temple   of  the   Mystic  Shrine,  of  New 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  837 

York.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Plama  Club,  of  the  former  place,  and  to  the 
Democratic  Club  of  New  York.  Socially  he  is  deservedly  popular,  as  he  is 
affable  and  courteous  in  manner  and  possesses  that  essential  qualification  to 
success  in  public  life — that  of  making  friends  readily  and  of  strengthening  the 
ties  of  friendship  as  time  advances. 


HART  CURRY. 


Hart  Curry,  one  of  the  most  enterprising,  wide-awake  and  energetic  citi- 
zens of  Somers  township,  Westchester  county,  was  born  in  Fishkill,  New 
York,  April  30,  1847,  and  has  resided  in  this  county  since  1894,  though  he 
'  has  virtually  called  this  his  home  for  fifteen  years.  His  parents  lived  here 
about  five  years,  from  1844  until  1850,  the  father,  Peter  B.  Curry,  being  en- 
gaged in  teaching.  He  was  a  native  of  Putnam  county,  born  in  the  town  of 
Carmel,  May  17,  181 1,  and  was  the  son  of  Lewis  and  Mary  (Secor)  Curry. 
The  family  is  of  Scotch  origin  and  the  men  have  mostly  been  farmers  and 
mechanics.  Peter  B.  Curry  devoted  many  years  of  his  life,  however,  to 
teaching  in  the  public  schools  of  Putnam  county;  and  there  served  as  school 
commissioner  for  two  terms.  He  was  a  stanch  Republican  in  politics  and  a 
highly  respected  citizen  of  the  community  in  which  he  made  his  home.  He 
married  Miss  Elizabeth  Hart,  who  was  born  in  Carmel,  April  24,  1822,  a 
daughter  of  James  and  Thamie  (Sloat)  Hart,  the  former  a  ship  carpenter  by 
occupation.  Mr.  Curry  died  in  his  native  county,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six 
years,  and  his  wife  a  few  years  later.  In  their  family  were  five  children,  of 
whom  our  subject  is  the  eldest.  Ellen,  born  August  25,  1849,  is  a  graduate 
of  the  Albany  Normal  School  and  was  for  several  years  a  successful  teacher 
and  vice  principal  of  the  Drum  Hill  school,  at  Peekskill,  but  is  now  the  wife 
of  Casper  Brower,  proprietor  of  the  Glenwood  Institute  at  Matteawan,  New 
Jersey;  Franklin,  born  December  28,  1856,  died  in  1858;  Willis,  born  April 
29,  i860,  is  a  graduate  of  the  American  Veterinary  College  of  New  York, 
was  for  years  employed  by  the  bureau  of  animal  industry  in  New  Jersey,  and 
is  now  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Hackensack,  that  state; 
and  Wright,  born  March  26,  1866,  died  in  1877. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  upon  a  farm  until  he  reached  his 
seventeenth  year,  and  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools. 
He  then  engaged  in  teaching  for  a  short  time  in  order  to  procure  funds  with 
which  to  continue  his  studies,  and  for  two  years  he  was  a  student  at  Cornell 
University.  Again  he  followed  the  teacher's  profession  for  a  short  time,  and 
for  ten  years  was  in  the  employ  of  the  New  York  postoffice,  in  the  box  and 
money-order  department  at  Station  L  and  the  main  office.  At  the  end  of 
that  period  he  embarked  in  the  hotel  and  lodging-house  business,  being  one 


888  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

of  the  pioneers  who  furnished  cheap  lodgings  for  the  poor  men  of  New  York 
city.  Later  he  opened  others  of  a  similar  character,  and  is  still  interested 
in  the  business,  the  Glenmore  being  his  principal  hotel.  In  this  venture  he 
has  met  with  excellent  success,  but  has  not  confined  his  attention  to  it  exclu- 
sively. He  was  the  founder  of  the  Mutual  Steam  Laundry  Company,  of 
which  he  is  now  the  president  and  principal  stockholder  and  does  work 
mainly  for  large  steamship  lines.  He  is  one  of  the  commissioners  of 
appraisal  of  the  Lake  Gleninda  commission,  and  is  one  of  the  most  public- 
spirited  and  progressive  citizens  of  Westchester  county.  In  Somers  town- 
ship he  owns  a  beautiful  farm  and  is  successfully  engaged  in  dairying,  in 
connection  with  his  other  business  interests.  The  success  that  he  has 
achieved  in  life  is  due  entirely  to  his  own  unaided  efforts,  and  he  is  to-day 
recognized  as  one  of  the  most  substantial  and  reliable  business  men  of  his 
community. 

On  April  30,  1884,  Mr.  Curry  was  married,  by  Rev.  Morris  Schenck,  to 
Miss  Alice  Wright,  a  native  of  Peekskill,  New  York,  and  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  S.  and  Almira  (Waters)  Wright.  They  hold  membership  in  the 
Presbyterian  church  and  are  highly  respected  by  all  who  know  them. 
Socially,  Mr.  Curry  belongs  to  Croton  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is  also  a 
member  of  the  chapter  and  commandery  at  Brewster,  Putnam  county. 
Since  attaining  his  majority  he  has  been  prominently  identified  with  the 
local  organization  of  the  Republican  party,  has  served  as  a  delegate  to  its 
various  conventions,  and  has  been  an  important  factor  in  securing  its  success 
in  the  community  where  he  has  resided. 


REV.  JAMES  W.  KELLY. 


There  is  no  position  held  by  man  more  important  than  that  of  pastor  of 
a  church;  nor  is  there  a  position  that  has  attached  to  it  greater  importance 
and  responsibility  when  properly  conceived  and  conscientiously  discharged. 
This  is  more  essentially  the  case  with  the  clergymen  of  the  Catholic  faith, 
for  he  is  held  by  his  congregation  more  as  an  instructor  and  guide,  not  only 
in  religious  matters,  but  also  in  moral  and  social  conduct.  There  are  few  men 
by  character  and  education  better  fitted  to  preside  over  a  people  in  all  these 
relations  than  the  reverend  gentleman  whose  name  stands  at  the  head  of  this 
biography.  He  is  now  pastor  of  St.  John's  Catholic  church  at  White  Plains, 
New  York. 

Father.  Kelly  was  born  in  New  York  city,  in  1858,  a  son  of  John  and 
Catherine  (Sheeran)  Kelly,  and  his  early  education  was  obtained  in  private 
schools  there.  In  September,  1874,  he  entered  Manhattan  College,  New 
York  city,  at  which  institution   he   graduated  in    1877,  and  the  same  year 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  839 

entered  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Troy.  After  being  ordained  to  the 
priesthood,  in  December,  1881,  by  Bishop  McNeirney,  of  Albany,  he  was 
called  to  St,  Patrick's  Cathedral,  New  York  city,  where  he  remained  ten 
years.  For  four  years  he  was  located  as  pastor  at  Williamsbridge,  New 
York  city,  but  in  June,  1895,  took  charge  of  his  present  church  at  White 
Plains.  His  congregation  now  numbers  three  hundred  and  twenty  families. 
In  connection  with  the  church  is  a  parochial  school,  which  is  presided  over 
by  the  Sisters  of  Charity. 

The  new  church  edifice,  which  was  erected  in  June,  1892,  is  among  the 
finest  in  Westchester  county  and  cost  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars,  the  money  for  its  erection  being  donated  by  Mrs.  Jules  Reynal,  in 
memory  of  her  father  and  her  son.  It  is  furnished  with  all  modern  improve- 
ments; is  heated  throughout  by  steam;  has  a  seating  capacity  of  eight  hun- 
dred, and  the  windows  are  very  artistic  in  design.  Here  Father  Kelly,  as  an 
active,  zealous  and  efficient  worker  for  the  church,  is  held  in  high  esteem, 
not  only  by  the  people  of  his  own  congregation  but  by  the  residents  of  White 
Plains  generally. 

DAVID  F.  DAVIDS. 

One  of  the  oldest  and  most  respected  families  of  New  Rochelle  is  that 
represented  here  by  the  subject  of  this  biography.  The  Reynolds  family,  to 
which  his  mother  belonged,  was  also  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  this  county, 
and"  thus  no  citizen  of  this  region  is  better  entitled  to  a  place  in  the  history  of 
Westchester  county  than  David  F.  Davids.  His  ancestors  were  noted  for 
their  patriotism,  public  spirit  and  peaceful,  industrious,  law-abiding  ways, 
and  no  breath  of  calumny  ever  darkened  their  fair  escutcheon. 

As  early  as  1666  one  William  Davids,  a  native  of  Wales, -crossed  the 
Atlantic  to  found  a  new  home  for  himself  and  children  in  a  land  where  Old 
World  tyranny  had  not  yet  cast  its  blight.  He  and  m.any  of  his  descendants 
assisted  in  placing  the  United  States  on  its  present  basis  as  one  of  the  pros- 
perous, progressive  nations  of  the  globe,  and  to  his  children  and  children's 
children  he  left  a  worthy  example  of  good  citizenship.  The  grandfather  of 
our  subject  was  William  Davids,  whose  birth  took  place  in  this  county.  The 
parents  of  David  F.  were  Thaddeus  and  Jane  M.  (Reynolds)  Davids,  the 
latter  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Reynolds,  whose  ancestors  also  were  among  the 
early  settlers  of  this  county,  Thaddeus  Davids  was  born  in  Chestnut  Ridge, 
Westchester  county,  November  16,  18 10,  and  died  July  22,  1894.  In 
1825  he  founded  the  business  of  manufacturing  various  kinds  of  inks  and 
writing  fluids  in  a  factory  in  New  York  city,  and  conducted  it  up  to  the  year 
1883,  when  a  stock  company  was  formed  and  David  F  Davids  was  made  the 
manager,  which  position  he  has  filled  to  the  present  time. 


840  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

The  birth  of  David  F.  Davids  took  place  September,  1832,  and  his  early 
years  were  passed  in  the  city  of  New  York,  where  he  attended  the  public 
schools  until  he  had  arrived  at  a  suitable  age  to  be  of  assistance  to  his  father 
in  business.  Though  he  is  necessarily  in  the  city  every  day,  his  home  is  in 
New  Rochelle,  and  he  makes  the  journey  back  and  forth  morning  and  night. 
He  stands  well  among  his  business  associates  wherever  he  is  known.  Quiet 
and  unassuming  in  manner,  he  has  avoided  public  life  as  far  as  was  compat- 
ible with  his  duties  as  a  citizen,  and  has  steadfastly  adhered  to  the  resolution 
which  he  formed,  in  his  young  manhood,  that  he  would  keep  out  of  politics. 
He  is  not  remiss  in  meeting  his  duties  as  a  voter,  however,  and  chooses  to 
use  his  franchise  on  behalf  of  the  men  and  measures  that  may  serve  the  best 
interest,  both  state  and  national. 

The  marriage  of  David  F.  Davids  and  Miss  Louisa  A.  Seacord  was  sol- 
emnized in  June,  1867.  Mrs.  Davids  also  is  a  descendant  of  sturdy  French- 
Huguenot  stock,  her  family  having  been  closely  identified  with  the  annals  of 
Westchester  county  since  168 1,  at  which  time  the  founder  of  the  second  Sea- 
cord  branch  in  the  United  States  settled  here. 


ABRAHAM  H.   TOMPKINS. 

More  than  two  centuries  and  a  half  ago,  in  the  year  1640,  three  broth- 
ers, Abraham,  Joseph  and  John,  came  from  England  to  America,  braving  the 
dangers  incident  to  ocean  voyages  in  those  days  when  primitive  methods  of 
navigation  were  in  vogue.  One  of  the  brothers  was  the  father  of  Governor 
Daniel  D.  Tompkins,  of  New  York.  Abraham,  the  great-great-grandfather 
of  our  subject,  located  in  Massachusetts,  and  had  a  son,  also  named  Abra- 
ham, who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Greenburg,  Westchester  county.  New 
York.  He  became  the  owner  of  a  large  tract  of  land  here,  and  at  his  death 
was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  White  Plains.  He  was  loyal  to  the  crown. 
John  Tompkins,  his  son,  and  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
New  York  city  and  throughout  his  business  career  engaged  in  contracting  and 
building.  His  political  support  was  given  the  Whig  party.  He  married 
Thama  Shute,  and  they  became  parents  of  Abraham,  William  Shute  and 
Mary  Jones.  The  mother  died,. after  which  the  father  was  married  again,  to 
Kathrine  Yule,  the  children  of  the  second  union  being  John  and  Catherine, 
the  latter  the  wife  of  Colonel  Weeds,  who  is  still  living  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio.  Abraham  Tompkins,  the  great-grandfather,  was  a  very  zealous  church 
man  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  faith.  He  died  in  Westchester  county  and 
was  laid  to  rest  in  White  Plains. 

William   Shute  Tompkins,   father  of  our  subject,   was  born  August  22, 
1 81 2,  in  Sullivan  street.   New  York  city,    and  obtained  his  education  in  the 


(^/Vt^C?^^^^^:^^'^ 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  841 

public  schools  there.  He  learned  the  trade  of  cracker  manufacturing  and 
afterward  that  of  cabinet-making.  Later  he  added  to  the  latter  trade  the 
conducting  of  furniture  stores  in  different  parts  of  the  city,  and  at  one  time 
the  celebrated  W.  M.  Tweed,  of  political  fame,  was  in  his  employ.  Subse- 
quently he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  drums  at  No.  69  Wall  street,  and 
soon  took  the  leadership  in  that  line.  He  became  especially  famous  for  the 
superior  quality  of  his  drums,  some  of  which  sold  for  as  much  as  five  hun- 
dred dollars.  He  had  the  monopoly  on  high-grade  bass  and  tenor  drums  and 
made  the  first  orchestra  drum  used  in  this  country.  He  also  took  up  the 
study  of  music  and  was  able  to  play  almost  any  kind  of  wind  instrument.  In 
his  youth  it  was  a  fondly  cherished  dream  that  he  might  some  day  become 
the  leader  of  a  fine  band,  and  that  dream  was  ultimately  realized.  He  was 
chosen  the  leader  of  the  old  New  York  Band  and  was  one  of  the  most  cele- 
brated musical  directors  of  the  country.  His  place  of  business  became 
known  as  "  The  College,"  and  was  the  most  popular  rendezvous  for  the  musi- 
cal fraternity  of  the  city.  For  several  years  he  led  P.  T.  Barnum's  band, 
and  after  his  removal  to  Yonkers  he  organized  the  Yonkers  Cornet  Band. 
He  also  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  drums  in  the  city  until  within  a  short 
time  prior  to  his  death.  In  his  political  views  he  was  first  a  Whig  and  after- 
ward a  Republican.  He  took  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs,  served  as  a 
member  of  the  Irving  Hose  Company,  and  socially  was  connected  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

William  Shute  Tompkins  married  Martha  A.  Hatfield  and  to  them  were 
born  six  children:  Gilbert  H.,  who  was  born  March  11,  181 2;  William  E. ; 
Frances  H.,  wife  of  John  H.  Tremper;  Mary  A.,  wife  of  J.  Henry  Andrews, 
a  wealthy  builder  of  New  York  city  and  commodore  of  the  New  Rochelle 
Yacht  Club;  Abraham  H. :  and  Mercy  M.,  wife  of  Captain  J.  A.  Sartorious, 
of  the  United  States  Armory  of  New  York  city.  '  The  mother  of  these  chil- 
dren died  in  1855,  and  Mr.  Tompkins  afterward  married  Louisa  Walls,  of 
Westchester  connty.  They  had  two  children:  Vivian  S.,  a  graduate  of  the 
University  of  New  York,  who  is  now  taking  a  post-graduate  course  prepara- 
tory to  practicing  medicine;  and  Martha.  The  father  died  in  November, 
1884,  and  by  his  side  in  the  Sparta  burying-ground  rests  his  wife,  who  died 
in    1855. 

Of  the  maternal  ancestry  of  Abraham  H.  Tompkins  we  have  the  follow- 
ing account.  Gilbert  Hatfield,  the  great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  had  a 
son,  Gilbert,  who  was  born  in  New  York  city,  but  became  a  gentleman  farmer 
at  Scarboro,  in  the  town  of  Ossining,  Westchester  county.  He  traced  his 
descent  back  to  Arthur  Hatfield,  who  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America  and 
purchased  lands  at  North  Castle,  in  October,  1763.  The  old  homestead, 
which  is  still  standing,  and  which  is  called  the  Mansion  House,  was  erected 


842  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

in  1795  and  was  used  as  an  inn  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  The 
barn,  on  account  of  its  superiority  over  others  of  that  day,  was  significantly 
styled  "  None  Such."  The  farm  comprised  five  hundred  acres  of  land,  and 
was  one  of  the  best  in  that  section  of  the  country.  The  owner,  Arthur 
Hatfield,  went  to  Nova  Scotia,  where  he  was  appointed  a  first  lieutenant  in 
the  English  army  in  1744.  Gilbert  Hatfield,  the  great-grandfather  of  our 
subject,  married  and  had  five  children:  William,  John,  Anna  Townsend, 
Thama  Searles  and  Phoebe  Tompkins,  one  of  whose  sons,  Gilbert,  married 
Martha  Williams,  who  was  of  Holland  Dutch  extraction  and  held  valid  claims 
to  the  Holland  throne  but  relinquished  all  such  on  coming  to  America.  Her 
father,  Arthur  Williams,  was  born  May  27,  1740,  and  on  emigrating  from 
Holland  to  America  located  in  the  town  of  Ossining,  Westchester  county. 
He  was  very  wealthy.  He  held  a  lieutenant's  commission  in  the  British 
■  army  and  was  sent  to  Nova  Scotia  to  drill  English  soldiers.  When  twenty- 
two  years  of  age  he  married  a  lady  of  eighteen,  the  wedding  taking  place  in 
1762.  He  died  in  the  town  of  Ossining,  in  1819,  and  his  wife  passed  away 
in  1821.  Their  daughter,  Martha  Williams,  became  the  wife  of  Gilbert  Hat- 
field, and  one  of  their  daughters,  Martha  A.,  married  William  Shute  Tomp- 
kins, father  of  our  subject.  The  children  of  Gilbert  and  Martha  (Williams) 
Hatfield,  were  Tamna  Ann,  Arthur,  John  and  Martha  A.  Their  father  was 
the  owner  of  a  farm  in  the  town  of  Sparta,  and  also  on  Sullivan  street,  New 
York  city,  but  selling  the  latter  property  he  removed  to  Sing  Sing,  this  state. 

Abraham  H.  Tompkins,  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch,  was  born 
in  Bleecker  street,  New  York  city,  January  2,  1844,  moved  to  Sing  Sing  when 
seven  years  of  age,  then  moved  to  Yonkers,  at  the  age  of  ten,  and  has  lived 
here  ever  since.  He  was  engaged  in  music  until  the  war,  when  he  enlisted 
at  Newburg,  New  York,  as  drum  major  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-eighth 
Regiment  of  New  York  Volunteers,  being  discharged  at  Newburg,  October 
31,  1863,  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service.  He  was  the  youngest 
drum  major  in  the  war.  He  participated  in  the  skirmish  at  Fort  Magruder: 
in  June,  1863,  the  engagements  at  Yorktown  and  Greenwich  settlements. 
In  July  the  regiment  was  attacked  by  General  Mosby,  who  after  a  short 
struggle  was  repulsed.  Twenty  of  his  men  were  captured,  while  the  Union 
loss  was  only  five.  The  regiment  then  left  Yorktown  to  join  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  and  reached  Gettysburg,  July  6,  1863.  In  August,  the  Eleventh 
and  Twelfth  Corps  were  consolidated  as  the  Twentieth  Corps  and  sent  to 
Georgetown,  Alabama,  whence  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-eighth  New 
York  went  to  Newburg  and  was  mustered  out.  From  twenty  to  thirty-five 
years  of  age  he  was  considered  one  of  the  best  snare  drummers  in  the  world, 
if  not  the  best. 

Upon  returning  from  the  war  Mr.  Tompkins  engaged  in  the  butchering 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  MS- 

business,  continuing  in  that  line  until  1896,  when  a  horse  falling  upon  him 
injured  him  so  seriously  that  he  was  obliged  to  withdraw,  and  has  since  prac- 
tically lived  retired.  He  was  a  reliable,  enterprising  business  man  who  won 
the  public  confidence  and  received  a  liberal  patronage.  He  has  always  taken 
a  zealous  and  active  interest  in  everything  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the 
city,  and  is  now  serving  as  alderman  from  the  fifth  ward,  to  which  position 
he  was  first  elected  in  1892.  By  re-election  he  is  now  serving  his  fourth 
term  and  as  an  alderman  he  has  been  aggressive  and  enterprising,  always 
favoring  improvement  and  reform.  The  erection  of  the  public  drinking 
fountains  of  Yonkers  is  credited  to  him,  also  the  widening  of  the  aqueduct 
arch;  he  is  a  strong  advocate  of  public  parks,  and  always  advocated  the 
equalization  of  water  rates.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  Republican, 
and  belongs  to  the  Lincoln  Legion,  a  political  organization,  and  the  Young, 
Men's  Republican  Club. 

Mr.  Tompkins  is  a  charter  member  and  one  of  the  organizers  of  Retch- 
ing Post,  No.  60,  G.  A.  R.,  which  is  now  the  fifteenth  post  on  the  roll.  He 
was  chairman  of  the  memorial  committee,  G.  A.  R.,  May  30,  1895,  and  he 
has  filled  all  of  its  offices,  and  is  now  serving  his  second  term  as  commander. 
He  was  chosen  delegate  to  the  state  encampment  at  Syracuse  in  1899.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Westchester  County  Association  of  Grand  Army 
Posts,  and  was  a  member  of  Company  H,  Seventeenth  Regiment,  and  after- 
ward the  Third  Regiment  of  the  state  militia.  Subsequently  this  became  the 
Sixteenth  Battalion,  and  of  both  he  served  as  drum  major.  It  is  now  known 
as  the  Fourth  Separate  Company,  and  Mr.  Tompkins  is  still  connected 
therewith,  having  for  twenty  years  been  a  member  of  the  state  militia.  He 
is  a  valued  member  of  the  Patriotic  Order  Sons  of  America,  formerly  belonged 
to  the  Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity  and  also  the  United  American  Mechanics, 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  was  the  department  commander. 
He  served  as  aide  on  the  staff  of  Charles  Freeman  and  Jack  Adams,  and  as 
aide-de-camp  on  the  staff  of  Thomas  Lawler,  commander  in  chief.  He  took 
an  early  interest  in  the  movement  toward  securing  the  Yonkers  soldiers' 
monument,  and  served  as  chairman  of  the  committee  from  Retching  Post, 
No.  60,  G.  A.  R. ;  on  the  entertainment  committee  at  the  unveiling  cere- 
monies. Also  he  is  a  member  of  the  Veteran  Association  of  the  national 
guard,  S.  N.  G.      In  religion  he  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church. 

On  the  7th  of  April,  1867,  Mr.  Tompkins  married  Miss  Eliza  L.  Nuskey, 
a  daughter  of  Captain  Alfred  Nuskey,  captain  of  the  Lockwood  Guards.  Her 
mother  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Susan  Tillottson  and  was  a  daughter  of 
Rachel  Lambert,  whose  father,  William  Lambert,  belonged  to  a  prominent  old 
Knickerbocker  family,  and  served  for  seven  years  as  a  sergeant  in  the  Amer- 
ican Revolution.      He  was  married  October  11,  1790,  to  Elizabeth  Cypher,. 


S44  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

who  was  born  April  21,  1761,  and  was  of  Scotch  descent.  They  were  very 
aristocratic  people  and  possessed  considerable  wealth,  living  in  very  luxurious 
style  for  those  days.  They  were  also  very  charitable,  and  generous  in  their 
giving.  Their  daughter,  Rachel,  was  born  October  3,  1790,  and  married 
William  Tillottson,  by  whom  she  had  the  following  children:  Susanna, 
Lavinia,  James,  Catherine,  Nancy,  Benjamin  and  Nathaniel.  Mr.  Tillott- 
son died  October  6,  1865,  and  his  wife  in  January,  1874.  He  had  served  in 
the  operations  along  Lake  Ontario  in  the  war  of  181 2,  was  taken  prisoner 
and  sent  to  Boston,  where  he  was  exchanged  after  peace  was  declared.  His 
daughter,  Susa,n,  was  born  April  2,  1816,  and  married  Alfred  Nuskey,  who 
was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  in  August,  181 5.  Their  children 
were  Mrs.  Catherine  Knapp;  Clorinda  W. ;  Mrs.  Rachel  Ward;  Eliza;  Abra- 
ham H.  T. ;  Emma,  deceased;  and  Granville.  The  mother  of  these  children 
died  December  15,  1888,  but  Mr.  Nuskey  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four  years.  He  makes  his  home  in  Sing  Sing,  New  York,  where  for  many 
years  he  served  as  foreman  of  the  Brand nith  Mills.  He  is  a  very  zealous 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  is  a  local  preacher  of  that 
denomination  and  is  very  popular  in  church  circles.  His  life  has  been  well 
spent  and  'all  esteem  him  highly  for  his  sterling  worth.  His  daughter,  now 
Mrs.  Tompkins,  was  born  June  22,  1848.  By  the  marriage  of  our  subject 
and  his  wife  have  been  born  three  children:  Gertrude  I.;  William  N.,  who 
married  Miss  Jennie  Stainsby,  of  Brooklyn,  and  resides  in  Yonkers  with  his 
wife  and  daughter,  Gertrude  E. ;  and  Abraham  H.,  Jr.  The  family  is  one 
of  prominence  in  the  community  and  its  members  occupy  social  positions  of 
distinction. 

WILLIAM  F.  COCHRAN. 

The  name  and  the  personality  of  William  Francis  Cochran  are  associated 
with  so  many  of  Yonkers'  philanthropic  enterprises  that  to  write  of  him  is  to 
write  of  the  history  of  some  of  her  beneficent  and  useful  institutions,  for,  in 
a  very  large  measure,  to  him  they  owe  their  present  splendid  homes  and  facili- 
ties for  perpetuating  and  carrying  on  their  work.  Always  ready  to  lend  his 
support,  personal  and  financial,  to  any  good  cause,  he  has  won  the  honor  and 
affection  of  all  classes  regardless  of  creed  or  party. 

His  father,  Alexander  Gifford  Cochran,  was  born  in  1803,  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  of  a  good  old  Scotch  family.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling  worth, 
who  brought  up  his  children  in  the  simple,  religious  way  so  characteristic  of 
the  sturdy  Scots.  He  began  his  commercial  career  as  a  clerk  in  the  old  dry- 
goods  house  of  Doremus,  Suydam  &  Nixon,  but  in  1830  started  his  own  firm, 
and  soon  became  known  as  one  of  the  leading  dry-goods  merchants  of  New 
York.     Edward  S.  Jaffray,  one  of  the  most  prominent  merchants  of  those 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  84& 

days,  said  of  Alexander  Cochran  that  "  he  was  the  ablest  and  most  promising 
young  merchant  in  that  city."  After  attaining  succe5,s  in  New  York,  his 
ambition  led  him  to  New  Orleans,  where  he  soon  became  widely  known.  A 
man  of  fine  presence,  most  genial  in  disposition,  kindly  of  heart  and  liberal 
to  a  fault,  he  gave  to  his  children  a  heritage  greater  than  wealth  could  bestow, 
— the  heritage  of  a  life  won  honestly  and  nobly  before  God  and  man.  He 
died  in  1875,  honored  and  beloved  of  all.  He  left  one  daughter,  the  wife  of 
the  Hon.  Stephen  Sanford,  of  Amsterdam,  New  York,  and  one  son,  William 
F.  Mr.  Cochran's  mother,  Sarah,  ne'e  Phillips,  was  born  at  Florida,  Mont- 
gomery county.  New  York,  in  1805,  of  old  Revolutionary  stock.  She  was 
the  youngest  of  a  family  of  twelve  children,  all  of  whom  lived  to  maturity. 
The  Rev.  William  West  Phillips,  D.  D. ,  for  years  pastor  of  the  First  Pres- 
byterian church  of  New  York,  was  her  brother.  Mr.  Cochran's  father  and 
mother  were  devoted  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  The  latter  died 
at  Amsterdam,  the  home  of  her  son,  in  1893. 

William  F.  Cochran  was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York,  in  October,  1835, 
and  was  early  taught  that  life  was  real  and  earnest,  and  that  industry,  integ- 
rity, honesty  and  economy  were  the  foundation  stones  upon  which  commer- 
cial success  was  built,  and  that  regard  for  the  welfare  and  happiness  of  others 
was  a  cardinal  principle  without  which  all  life's  attainments  lacked  the  true 
and  permanent  elements  of  success.  In  1844  his  parents  removed  to  Florida, 
Montgomery  county,  New  York,  and  later  they  settled  in  Amsterdam  on  the 
Mohawk  river,  where  the  early  years  of  his  life  were  spent.  He  received  the 
educational  advantages  of  a  first-class  academy,  and  his  academic  career  as  a 
student  was  prophetic  of  the  success  he  should  afterward  attain  in  the  social 
and  commercial  world.  His  conception  of  the  uses  of  wealth  as  a  means  ta 
dispense  happiness  and  comfort,  and  to  give  to  the  less  favored  advantages 
and  privileges  otherwise  beyond  their  reach,  it  was  the  ambition  of  his  youth 
to  accomplish,  and  his  whole  later  life  has  been  eminently  successful  in  the 
achievement  of  this  noble  purpose. 

In  1849  he  returned  to  New  York  to  commence  his  business  career,  and 
entered  the  service  of  Swift,  Waldron  &  Company,  in  Front  street,  and  aft- 
erward Kent,  Lowber  &  Company,  both  well  known  houses.  In  1857  he 
took  up  his  residence  in  Albany,  New  York,  and  for  several  years  conducted 
a  business  in  that  city  with  unusual  success.  While  there  he  became  inter- 
ested in  the  manufacture  of  Canadian  lumber,  being  associated  in  this  busi- 
ness with  his  brother-in-law,  Samuel  H.  Cook,  of  Balston  Spa,  New  York. 
After  a  close  application  to  business  for  ten  years  he  made  a  tour  of  Europe 
in  1867,  and  on  his  return  devoted  all  his  energies  to  his  lumber  interests. 
In  1869  he  married  Miss  Eva  Smith,  the  only  daughter  of  Alexander  Smith, 
of  Yonkers,  with  whom  he   soon   after  became   associated   in  business.      In 


846  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

April,  1869,  the  firm  of  Alexander  Smith  &  Sons  was  formed,  and  later,  in 
1873,  the  company  was  organized,  being  composed  of  Alexander  Smith  & 
Sons  and  the  well  known  house  of  W.  &  J.  Sloane,  of  New  York.  The 
Alexander  Smith  &  Sons  Carpet  Company  is  now  one  of  the  largest  carpet- 
manufacturing  companies  in  the  world,  if  not  indeed  the  largest.  A  sketch 
is  given  elsewhere.  Mr.  Cochran  was  the  secretary  and  treasurer  of  this 
company,  and  was  devoted  to  the  development  of  its  large  interests  for 
almost  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  retired  from  active  participation  in  its 
management  in  1894,  and  since  then  he  has  given  the  greater  part  of  his 
time  to  the  various  beneficent  institutions  with  which  his  name  is  so  closely 
associated.  "  Duncraggan,"  his  charming  summer  home  on  the  banks  of 
the  Hudson,  is  justly  celebrated  as  one  of  the  most  beautiful  properties  on 
America's  Rhine.  At  this  house,  where  he  resides  most  of  the  year,  and 
also  at  his  city  home  in  New  York,  hospitality  and  hearty  cordiality  "wel- 
come the  coming  and  speed  the  parting  guest."  He  had  three  sons  and 
three  daughters. 

Mr.  Cochran  is  a  man  simple  in  his  tastes,  most  temperate  in  his  habits 
and  ready  always  to  bestow  upon  others  what  he  denies  himself.  In  politics 
he  has  ever  been  a  strong  Republican,  taking  an  active  personal  interest  in 
the  municipal  affairs  of  Yonkers.  In  1895  he  was  his  party's  choice  as  the 
nominee  for  congressman,  but  he  declined  the  honor,  preferring  to  devote 
himself  to  the  enterprises  in  which  he  is  enlisted  here.  Mr.  Cochran  has 
been  a  vestryman  of-  St.  John's  Protestant  Episcopal  church  for  nineteen 
years,  and  during  that  time  he  and  his  wife  relieved  the  church  of  a  large 
debt  and  built  the  rectory,  parish  buildings  and  drinking  fountain  (which  lat- 
ter is  supplied  with  ice  water  all  through  the  hot  season)  at  the  corner  of 
South  Broadwaj'  and  Hudson  streets. 

In  many  of  the  good  works,  indeed  in  almost  all  which  have  been 
recipients  of  his  benefactions,  his  good  wife  has  been  a  partner  in  his  philan- 
thropy. Always  exceedingly  modest  and  retiring,  ever  ready  to  help,  but  in 
the  most  unostentatious  way,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  F.  Cochran  have  done 
more^  for  the  city  of  Yonkers  than  any  other  residents.  Their  work  is  not 
confined  to  the  church  of  which  they  are  members,  but  all  denominations 
have  received  their  generous  and  unstinted  support.  The  beautiful  and 
superbly  equipped  St.  John's  Hospital  buildings  on  Ashburton  avenue,  opened 
in  1894,  were  erected  by  them,  of  which  institution  Mr.  Cochran  has  been 
president  for  seventeen  years.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  edu- 
cation, first  president  of  the  board  of  trade,  and  director  of  the  First  National 
Bank.  At  present  he  is  identified  with  several  large  corporations  in  New 
York,  being  a  director  of  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company  and  of  the 
Continental  Trust  Company. 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  847 

The  Hollywood  Inn,  at  South  Broadway  and  Hudson  street,  the  largest 
and  best  equipped  workingmen's  club-room  in  this  country,  was  the  personal 
gift  of  Mr.  Cochran,  who  is  also  the  president  of  the  club.  To  this  work,  so 
extensive,  so  broad,  he  gives  much  of  his  time,  ever  anticipating  and  providing 
for  the  wants  of  the  thousands  who  participate  in  its  benefits.  When  Mr.  Coch- 
ran, who  had  previously  been  a  liberal  contributor  toward  the  club,  became 
impressed  with  the  great  value  of  such  an  institution  as  the  above,  and  the 
importance  of  so  increasing  its  accommodations  and  facilities  as  to  make  it  a 
permanent  and  complete  workingmen's  club,  he  addressed  the  following  letter 
to  its  president: 

YoNKERS,  March  16,  1896. 
James  E.  Freeman,  President  of  Hollywood  Inn.  of  Yonkers,  New  York. 

My  Dear  Sir: — Having  watched  with  much  interest  (especially  during  the  past  winter)  the 
establishment  and  development  of  the  work  carried  on  by  the  organization  known  as  the 
"  Hollywood  Inn,"  I  have  been  and  am  more  and  more  impressed  with  its  importance  and  the 
great  benefit  it  may  become  to  this  commuuity. 

The  house  now  occupied  being  entirely  inadequate  to  its  present  requirements,  much 
less  to  its  future  extension,  it  becomes  a  serious  question  how  best  to  provide  more  suitable 
•quarters,  such  as  will  enable  its  managers  to  add  new  features  which  will  be  educational  and 
social  as  well  as  useful  mentally,  morally  and  physically.  Believing  this  work,  when  thor- 
oughly organized  and  established,  will  be  self-supporting,  as  has  been-elsewhere  demonstrated; 
and  with  a  conviction  of  the  boon  it  will  prove  to  the  class  of  men  and  boys  it  will  reach,  and 
for  whose  benefit  it  was  conceived  and  is  being  conducted,  I  am  led  to  offer  you,  under  certain 
conditions  (hereinafter  named)  such  accommodations  as  this  work  requires,  and  believe  the 
problem  of  success  or  failure  will  be  decided  during  the  next  ihree  years.  I  now  make  the  fol- 
lowing proposition  to  yourself  and  board  of  managers,  which  if  accepted  it  will  soon  be  ascer- 
tained how  far  the  citizens  of  Yonkers  are  willing  to  contribute  to  the  support  of  an  institution 
which  apparently  appeals  so  favorably  to  the  public  spirit  of  this  and  other  communities.  If 
you  will  secure  for  the  next  three  years  annual  subscriptions  of  three  thousand  dollars,  thus 
insuring  the  running  expenses  of  the  institution,  exclusive  of  rent  (which  I  will  contribute),  I 
will  erect  for  the  Use  of  the  Hollywood  Inn  a  commodious  building  (on  a  central  site)  which 
•will  be  not  only  an  ornament  to  our  city,  but  a  building  complete  in  all  its  appointments  for  the 
fullest  and  best  development  of  this  work.  Should  the  next  three  years  prove  its  success,  in 
which  I  have  the  greatest  confidence,  satisfactory  arrangements  will  be  made  such  as  are 
deemed  best  for  its  permanent  home. 

With  such  a  building  and  suitable  managers,  many  new  features  may  be  added,  which 
in  turn  will  place  the  Hollywood  Inn,  of  Yonkers,  among  the  great  institutions  of  the  land,  and 
who  shall  say  how  far-reaching  its  influence  for  good  maybe  felt.  Sincerely  trusting  you  may 
succeed  in  meeting  the  only  condition  necessary  to  secure  this  new  home,  and  which  condition 
is  to  secure  the  work  until  it  becomes  established,  I  remain  sincerely  yours, 

Wm.  F.  Cochran. 

St.  John's  Riverside  Hospital,  on  Woodworth  avenue,  after  some  years, 
proved  to  be  too  small  and  not  well  adapted  for  a  hospital.  Then  William 
F  Cochran  and  his  wife,  Mrs.  Eva  S.  Cochran,  generously  gave  to  the 
society  the  present  large  and  elegant  buildings  and  grounds.  The  record  of 
the  dedicatory  services  is  in  the  hospital  annual  report  for  1894.  In  closing 
his  address  on  that  occasion,  Mr.  Cochran  said: 


848  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

"And  now  you  will  allow  me  to  add  that  no  word  can  be  spoken  here 
to-day  that  can  in  any  way  add  to  the  pleasure  we  experience  in  contributing 
this  gift  to  the  cause  of  humanity.  The  reward  is  in  the  doing;  and  while 
we  are  spared  to  go  in  and  out  among  you  the  pleasure  that  will  daily  come 
to  us  in  the  consciousness  of  sickness  and  suffering  relieved  will  be  second 
only  to  the  precious  thought  that  when  we  are  called  hence  this  Christ  work 
will  continue,  and  that  we  have  been  permitted  to  contribute  toward  this 
result  and  to  lay  the  corner-stone,  as  it  were,  of  a  lovely  charity  that  will  go 
down  'the  ages,' — a  blessing  to  the  sick,  wounded  and  sorrowful  of  God's 
children.  And  now,  gentlemen,  for  the  service  of  man,  and  in  the  name  of 
Christ,  my  wife  and  myself  present  to  you  the  deed  of  this  property.  In 
accepting  it  you  assume  a  great  responsibility.  The  work  will  not  go  on 
alone,  but  will  need  sympathetic  care,  watchfulness  and  attention.  It 
requires  charity,  love  and  forbearance  in  its  management;  perfect  peace  and 
harmony  must  prevail  in  all  its  departments;  and  I  assure  you  that,  accepted 
only  in  the  loving  spirit  in  which  it  is  given,  can  it  continue  to  grow  and 
strengthen  as  it  should.     May  God  add  His  blessing!  " 

Of  this  man  it  may  be  truly  said,  he  lives  to  make  others  happy,  to  dis- 
pense the  wealth  which  he  regards  as  committed  to  his  trust,  simply  and 
solely  as  a  steward,  for  the  benefit  and  happiness  of  others.  Yonkers  has 
many  enduring  monuments  which  will  long  commemorate  the  thoughtfulness 
and  the  generosity  and  the  nobility  of  William  F.  Cochran. 


J.   EUGENE  PAWSON. 

One  of  the  leading  business  concerns  in  the  city  of  Yonkers  is  the  Yonk- 
ers Roofing  &  Concrete  Company,  of  which  J.  E.  Pawson  is  the  able  and 
efficient  superintendent. 

Mr.  Pawson  is  a  descendant  of  old  English  families.  His  grandfather, 
Robert  Pawson,  was  born  at  Leeds,  England,  in  1806,  and  came  to  America 
when  about  twenty  years  of  age,  For  some  time,  in  the  old  country,  he  was 
a  member  of  the  queen's  body  guard,  and  his  brother,  William  Pawson,  was 
for  a  time  mayor  of  the  city  of  Leeds.  Robert  had  the  following  named 
children:  Henrietta,  Mary,  John  W. ,  Robert,  Richard,  George,  Elizabeth, 
William,  James,  Philip,  Eugene  and  Charles.  He  finally  died  at  East 
Chester,  Westchester  county,  in  1865,  when  in  his  fifty-ninth  year. 

John  Ward  Pawson,  the  father  of  our  subject,  married  Mary  Elizabeth 
Cromwell,  who  was  born  at  Catskill  on  the  Hudson,  a  daughter  of  Oliver  and 
Anna  Maria  (Robbins)  Cromwell.  Her  maternal  grandfather,  John  Robbins, 
was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  18 12  and  was  killed  while  in  the  service.      Oliver 


^^z-z^^^^^^^fy^ 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  849 

Cromwell,  the  maternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  1812,  at  a 
place  called  Cromwell's  Creek,  near  McComb's  dam,  and  now  situated  at 
One  Hundred  and  Sixty-fourth  street  and  Central  avenue,  in  the  twenty-third 
ward  of  New  York  city.  Oliver  Cromwell  was  a  son  of  Oliver  Cromwell  and 
a  direct  lineal  descendant  of  the  famous  Oliver  Cromwell  the  Protector,  of 
England.  John  W.  Pawson  had  the  following  named  children:  Frank 
Henry,  deceased;  Ella  Maria  Rex,  also  deceased;  Francina  Prophet, 
deceased,  was  the  wife  of  George  C.  Bearsford;  James  Oliver,  born  in  1864, 
died  June  14,  1897;  Mary  E.  Van  Fleet;  Carrie  A.  Palmer;  John  Eugene, 
our  subject;  William  H.  and  Charles  T. 

John  W.  Pawson  was  born  at  Hunt's  Point,  Westchester  county,  in 
1833,  and  was  educated  there.  For  many  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  milk 
business,  and  made  his  home  in  the  metropolis  up  to  1887.  At  present,  and 
for  the  past  twelve  years,  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  oil  business  at  New 
Rochelle,  having  purchased  a  valuable  homestead  at  that  place  about  seven 
years  ago.  He  is  a  practical,  successful  business  man,  and  is  affiliated  with 
the  Republican  party.  He  and  his  estimable  wife  are  both  about  sixty-five 
years  of  age  and  still  in  the  enjoyment  of  good  health. 

John  Eugene  Pawson,  the  subject  proper  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in 
October,  1871,  at  Mott  Haven,  now  included  within  the  Greater  New  York. 
He  acquired  a  good  business  education  in  the  grammar  and  high  schools  of 
New  York  city,  and  learned  the  trade  of  silk-cutting,  which  he  followed  for 
some  time  in  New  York  city.  He  then  became  an  employe  of  his  brother, 
James  Oliver,  who  was  carrying  on  the  roofing  and  concrete  business.  As 
foreman  of  this  work  our  subject  continued  until  the  death  of  his  brother,  and 
when  the  widow  sold  her  interest  in  the  concern  to  the  present  company,  J. 
E.  Pawson  was  retained,  being  made  superintendent.  Under  his  judicious 
management  the  business  has  rapidly  grown,  and  now  the  company  is  trans- 
acting the  most  extensive  trade  in  this  line  in  the  county.  In  the  past  two 
years  they  have  laid  over  one  hundred  thousand  square  feet  of  seyssel  rock 
asphalt  for  the  board  of  education  of  Yonkers,  and  they  are  the  sole  agents 
for  this  kind  of  asphalt  in  the  county. 

A  true  patriot  and  good  citizen,  Mr.  Pawson  belongs  to  the  Patriotic 
Order  Sons  of  America,  and  is  the  vice-president  of  the  local  lodge.  He  is 
an  active  member  of  the  volunteer  fire  department,  connected  with  the  Hope 
Hook  and  Ladder  Company;  is  associated  with  the  A  B  C  Bowling  Club, 
and  is  councilor  of  the  lodge  of  the  Ancient  Essenic  Order.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  City  Club,  of  Yonkers,  and  a  non-resident  member  of  Mount  Vernon 
City  Club.  Politically  he  is  a  loyal  Republican.  His  marriage  to  Miss 
Hannah  Amelia  Maiden  was  solemnized  December  31,  1896,  and  on  October 
6,  1897,  Mrs.  Pawson  was  summoned  to  the  silent  land. 
54 


850  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 


HENRY  H.   CANNON. 

The  present  mayor  of  the  pretty  village  of  Irvington,  Westchester 
county,  and  for  a  period  of  thirty-five  years  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of 
the  place,  is  Henry  H.  Cannon.  He  is  one  of  the  native  sons  of  Irvington, 
his  birth  having  occurred  here  February  28,  1842,  and  from  his  earliest  recol- 
lection he  has  been  closely  associated  with  the  welfare  and  interests  of  this 
immediate  locahty.  That  he  is  esteemed  as  a  man  of  sterling  worth  has  been 
frequently  manifested  in  material  ways  by  his  fellow  citizens  and  neighbors. 
When  Irvington  was  incorporated  he  was  appointed  treasurer  of  the  village 
and  served  in  that  capacity  for  fourteen  years.  He  has  been  president  for 
the  past  four  years,  and  is  discharging  his  duties  in  a  manner  generally  satis- 
factory to   all  concerned. 

Having  spent  his  entire  life  in  Irvington,  Mr.  Cannon  is  widely  known 
in  the  locality.  His  parents  were  James  and  Clarissa  (Ackley)  Cannon.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Ireland  who  came  to  the  United  States  when  very 
young,  and  for  many  years  was  successfully  engaged  in  contracting  and  build- 
ing, his  home  being  in  Irvington.  His  mother  was  born  and  reared  in  Con- 
necticut. 

The  early  educational  privileges  which  Henry  H.  Cannon  received  were 
such  as  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  afforded,  but  later  he  pursued 
special  courses  of  study  under  the  tutorship  of  Rev.  Dr.  McVickar,  rector  of 
the  Episcopal  church,  and  also  under  the  direction  of  Benson  Ferris,  who 
for  years  was  president  of  the  Tarrytown  Savings  Bank  and  whose  death 
occurred  in  the  autumn  of  1898.  In  1865  Mr.  Cannon  embarked  in  the  busi- 
ness to  which  he  still  gives  his  attention,  the  buying  and  selling  of  flour, 
grain  and  feed,  engaging  in  both  the  wholesale  and  retail  trade.  He  soon 
acquired  the  confidence  of  the  business  world  and  from  the  beginning  he  met 
with  the  success  which  he  so  richly  deserves.  The  best  of  shipping  facilities 
are  his,  as  his  place  of  business  is  situated  near  the  New  York  Central  Rail- 
road tracks, — no  small  matter  to  a  merchant  who  handles  such  quantities  of 
freight  as  does  Mr.  Cannon. 

In  1870  he  married  Miss  Lucy  H.  Davis,  a  resident  of  New  York  city, 
in  which  metropolis  she  was  born  and  reared  to  womanhood.  Her  father, 
Dorrance  Davis,  was  a  descendant  of  an  old  colonial  family  of  Connecticut. 
Ten  children — eight  sons  and  two  daughters — have  blessed  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cannon. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Cannon  is  independent  of  party  ties,  his  sup- 
port being  given  the  men  and  measures  that  he  believes  will  best  promote  the 
public  welfare.  That  he  is  a  capable  official  is  indicated  by  his  long  reten- 
tion in  office,  and  through  his  instrumentality  the  welfare  of  the  village  has 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  851 

been  greatly  advanced.  Religiously  he  is  connected  with  St.  Barnabas' 
Episcopal  church,  of  which  he  has  been  a  member  since  his  youth,  while  for 
many  years  he  has  served  the  congregation  as  vestryman. 


JEROME  A.    PECK. 

Among  the  founders  of  the  New  Haven  colony  was  William  Pecke,  who 
located  in  Connecticut  in  1638.  He  and  his  son  often  spelled  their  names 
Pecke,  but  in  the  latter  part  of  their  lives  they  dropped  the  final  letter.  Will- 
iam Pecke  was  born  in  or  near  the  city  of  London  in  1601,  and  was  married 
there  about  the  year  1622.  With  his  wife  Elizabeth,  and  their  son  Jeremiah, 
the  only  child  born  to  them  in  the  mother  country,  he  came  to  America, 
probably  sailing  from  London,  in  the  ship  Hector,  in  company  with  Governor 
Eaton  and  Rev.  John  Davenport,  the  voyage  being  completed  by  their  arrival 
at  Boston,  June  26,  1837.  Trumbull,  in  his  History  of  Connecticut,  erro- 
neously states  that  their  arrival  was  July  26,  and  some  have  copied  their 
mistake.  The  members  of  the  company  were  principally  from  London, 
where  Mr.  Davenport  had  been  a  celebrated  minister.  There  were  many 
wealthy  merchants  and  others  of  great  respectability  from  the  world's  me- 
tropolis, together  with  farmers  from  Yorkshire,  Hartfordshire,  Kent  and  some 
from  Surrey  and  Sussex.  They  had  suffered  much  from  the  intolerance  and 
persecution  of  Archbishop  Laud  during  the  reign  of  Charles  I,  and  the  object 
of  their  emigration  was  to  secure  the  unmolested  enjoyment  of  civil  and 
religious  liberty. 

As  stated  above,  William  Pecke  went  to  New  Haven  in  1838  and  became 
one  of  the  original  proprietors  of  the  town,  his  autograph  signature  being 
affixed  to  the  "  fundamental  agreement,"  or  constitution,  dated  June4,  1639, 
for  the  government  of  the  infant  colony.  This  is  said  to  have  been  one  of 
"  the  first  examples  in  history  of  a  written  constitution  organizing  a  govern- 
ment and  defining  its  powers."  He  was  admitted  a  freeman  of  the  colony, 
October  20,  1640;  was  a  merchant  by  occupation,  and  a  trustee,  treasurer 
and  the  general  business  agent  of  the  Colony  Collegiate  School,  established 
on  the  basis  of  the  Hopkins  fund.  He  is  usually  named  in  the  records  with 
the  title  "  Mister,"  then  a  prefix  of  respect  and  distinction.  From  1659  until 
bis  decease  he  was  a  deacon  in  the  church  at  New  Haven.  His  wife  Eliza- 
beth died  December  5,  1683,  and  he  subsequently  married  Sarah,  the  widow 
of  William  Holt.  His  death  occurred  October  4,  1694,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  ninety-three  years.  His  children,  all  born  of  his  first  marriage,  were 
Jeremiah,  John,  Joseph  and  Elizabeth, 'all  of  whom  together  with  his  second 
wife,  survived  him,  and  are  named  in  his  last  will  and  testament,  dated 
March    9,    1688-9    ("1689    as   we  now   write    it").     This   will  is    found 


852  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

recorded  in  the  probate  records  of  New  Haven,  book  ii,  page  176.  His 
home  lot  of  about  an  acre,  and  his  dwelling-house  and  shop,  or  store,  in  New 
Haven  were,  at  the  time  of  his  decease,  on  the  southeasterly  side  of,  and 
fronting  on.  Church  street,  the  lot  extending  from  Center  street  northerly  in 
front  on  Church  street  toward  Chapel  street  about  one  hundred  feet,  and 
extending  easterly  from  Church  street  a  few  feet  beyond  Orange  street.  The 
front  on  Church  street  is  now  covered  by  the  Connecticut  Savings  Bank 
building,  on  the  corner  of  Church  and  Cedar  streets,  the  Clark  and  the 
Odeon  buildings.  His  grave  is  in  that  part  of  the  old  burial  ground  now 
under  the  Center  church  in  New  Haven,  but  his  tombstone  is  in  the  new 
cemetery,  having  been  removed  thither  in  1821,  together  with  the  monu- 
ments and  tombstone,  of  others,  whose  graves  also  are  covered  with  the  old 
church. 

Jeremiah  Peck  was  born  in  the  city  of  London,  England,  or  vicinity,  in 
1623,  and  was  brought  by  his  father  to  this  country  in  1637.  Little  is 
known  of  his  early  history  except  that  he  had  a  good  education,  acquired  in 
part  before  he  left  England.  He  is  said  by  Cotton  Mather  to  have  been 
bred  at  Harvard  College;  but  though  probably  a  student,  his  name  does  not 
appear  in  the  catalogue  of  graduates  of  that  institution.  He  was  married 
November  12,  1656,  to  Johannah  Kitchell,  a  daughter  of  Robert  Kitchell, 
who  went  to  New  Haven  in  the  company  of  Eaton,  Davenport  and  others  in 
1638,  and  the  next  year  settled  in  Guilford,  Connecticut,  being  a  prominent 
citizen  and  one  of  the  first  planters  of  that  town.  He  was  one  of  those  who 
emigrated  from  the  New  Haven  colony  to  Newark,  New  Jersey,  in  1666,  and 
there  died  about  1672.  His  only  son,  Samuel  Kitchell,  also  went  to  Newark 
about  the  same  time,  was  a  man  of  high  standing  and  respectability,  and  died 
April  26,  1690.  The  wife  of  Robert  Kitchell  died  in  Greenwich,  Connect- 
icut, in  1682,  while  residing  there  with  her  daughter,  the  wife  of  Rev.  Jere- 
miah Peck. 

Before  his  marriage,  Jeremiah  Peck  had  commenced  preaching  and 
teaching  school  at  Guilford,  Connecticut,  and  followed  those  professions 
until  1680,  when  he  was  invited  to  take  charge  of  the  collegiate  school  at 
New  Haven.  This  was  a  colony  school,  and  had  been  instituted  by  the 
general  court  in  1659.  It  was  open  to  students  from  other  colonies,  and  in 
it  young  men  were  to  be  fitted  for  college,  Latin,  Greek  and  Hebrew  being 
part  of  the  curriculum.  He  accepted  the  invitation,  and  removing  from 
Guilford  to  New  Haven,  entered  upon  his  duties  as  an  instructor,  and  con- 
tinued to  discharge  the  same  until  the  summer  of  1661,  when  the  school  was 
temporarily  suspended  for  want  of  adequate  support.  It  was  revived,  how- 
ever, after  a  few  years,  and  has  continued  and  flourished  until  the  present 
day,  under  the  name  of  the  Hopkins  Grammar  School. 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  853 

In  the  autumn  of  1661,  Rev.  Jeremiah  Peck  was  invited  to  preach  at 
Saybrook,  Connecticut,  where  there  is  much  reason  to  suppose  that  he  was 
ordained  and  where  he  settled  as  a  minister,  succeeding  Rev.  James  Fitch, 
the  agreement  of  settlement  being  dated  September  25,  1661.  After  a  few 
years  there  was  some  dissatisfaction  with  his  ministry  and  a  misunderstand- 
ing in  regard  to  the  provisions  of  his  agreement  of  settlement,  and  when  this 
was  amicably  arranged  he  left  Saybrook  and  early  in  1666  removed  to  Guil- 
ford. He  was  then,  and  for  some  time  had  been,  together  with  numerous 
other  ministers  and  churches  in  the  New  Haven  and  Connecticut  colonies, 
decidedly  opposed  to  what  was  called  the  Half-way  Covenant,  adopted  by 
the  general  synod  of  1662,  and,  with  many  of  the  leading  ministers  and  the 
people  of  the  New  Haven  colony,  was  especially  and  irreconcilably  hostile  to 
the  union  of  the  New  Haven  and  Connecticut  colonies  under  the  charter  of 
Charles  H,  which,  however,  after  a  protracted  struggle,  was  finally  effected 
in  1665,  and  he  resolved  to  emigrate  from  the  colony. 

Removing  from  Guilford  in  1666,  he  became  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
Newark,  New  Jersey,  his  grounds  and  residence  being  on  the  northeast  corner 
of  Market  and  Mulberry  streets.  It  does  not  appear  that  he  officiated  as  a 
minister  at  Newark,  but  he  preached  to  the  neighboring  people  of  Elizabeth- 
town  soon  after  his  removal  to  Newark,  and  finally  settled  there  as  minister 
in  1669  or  1670.  During  the  latter  year  and  again  in  1675  he  was  invited  by 
the  people  of  Woodbridge,  New  Jersey,  and  in  1676  by  the  people  of  Green- 
wich, Connecticut,  to  settle  with  them  in  the  ministry,  but  he  declined  these 
several  invitations.  In  September,  1678,  he  was  again  invited  to  settle  as  a 
minister,  and  in  October,  1678,  he  had  a  similar  call  from  Greenwich,  remov- 
ing there  late  in  the  autumn  of  that  year  from  Elizabethtown,  New  Jersey. 
He  became  the  first  settled  minister  at  that  place,  where  his  pastorate  was  a 
very  quiet  and  useful  one,  being  disturbed  only  by  his  refusal  in  1688  to  bap- 
tize the  children  of  non-communicants,  allowed  by  the  introduction  of  the 
Half-way  Covenant,  which  still  agitated  the  churches  of  Connecticut. 
Though  sustained  by  a  majority  of  the  members  of  his  church,  the  dissatis- 
faction of  the  minority  probably  led  to  his  resignation  in  1689.  He  then 
commenced  preaching  in  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  and,  having  accepted  the 
unanimous  invitation  of  the  residents  of  that  town  to  settle  with  them  in  the 
ministry,  he  removed  there  early  in  1690  and  became  the  first  settled  minister 
of  the  church  in  that  place  in  1691,  at  which  time  he  was  nearly  seventy  years 
of  age.  In  a  few  years  his  health  gradually  failed,  but  he  continued  to  be  the 
pastor  of  the  church  and  discharged  the  most  of  his  official  duties  until  his 
decease,  at  Waterbury,  June  7,  1699.  He  seems  to  have  possessed  consider- 
able energy  and  ability  and  to  have  been  a  man  of  much  usefulness,  both  as  a 
teacher  and  minister  in  the  frontier  settlements.    His  wife  survived  him,  dying 


854  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

in  Waterbury  in  171 1.  His  will,  dated  January  14,  1696-7,  in  the  form  of  a 
deed  of  gift,  is  recorded  on  page  6  of  the  Waterbury  Land  Records,  volume  i ; 
and  hers,  in  the  same  form,  dated  October  7,  1686,  appears  on  page  103  of  the 
same  volume. 

Samuel  Peck,  who  was  born  in  Guilford,  Connecticut,  January  18,  1659, 
went  to  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  with  his  father  in  1678,  acquired  a  good  edu- 
cation and  was  married,  November  27,  1688,  to  Ruth  Ferris,  whose  father, 
Peter  Ferris,  was  a  son  of  Jeffrey  Ferris,  of  Stamford,  Connecticut.  Samuel 
Peck  became  the  progenitor  of  the  numerous  Greenwich  families  of  his  sur- 
name. He  was  a  man  of  large  wealth  and  influence,  for  about  fifty  years  was 
justice  of  the  peace  and  held  other  important  positions  in  Greenwich,  where 
he  died,  April  28,  1746.  His  wife's  death  occurred  there,  September  17, 
1745,  when  she  had  reached  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  Their  grave- 
stones are  still  standing  in  the  old  Greenwich  cemetery. 

Theophilus  Peck,  born  in  March,  1702,  was  married  February  5>  1728, 
to  Elizabeth  Mead,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Mead,  of  Greenwich,  who  was 
born  in  November,  1703,  and  died  November  17,  1783,  aged  eighty  years. 
He  was  the  owner  of  an  extensive  tract  of  land  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
town  of  Greenwich,  called  Pecksland  and  Round  Hill,  where  he  resided  until 
his  death,  November  7,  1783. 

Theophilus  Peck,  born  March  15,  1730,  married  Rebecca  Knapp,  July 
5,  1753,  and  died  in  Greenwich  July  8,  1812. 

David  Peck,  born  in  February,  1754,  was  married  August  10,  1773,  to 
Amy  Rundell,  who  died  January  31,  1793,  and  in  1794  he  wedded  Alathea 
Honeywell.  He  resided  in  Greenwich,  where  he  followed  farming  and  also 
engaged  in  preaching  as  minister  of  the  Baptist  church.  He  died  there 
April  23,  1835,  and  his  second  wife  passed  away  May  14,  1850. 

David  Peck,  born  March  16,  1805,  was  married  March  11,  1829,  to 
Mary  B.  Miller,  and  in  1870  was  living  in  Greenwich,  Connecticut. 

Cephas  Peck,  the  father  of  Jerome  A.  Peck,  was  born  January  3,  1830, 
was  married  December  31,  1857,  to  Josephine  Ferris,  in  1861,  was  a  resident 
of  Port  Chester,  New  York,  and  died  April  14,   1895. 

Jerome  Alvord  Peck,  clerk  of  the  village  of  Port  Chester,  was  born  in 
1863,  in  Pecksland,  town  of  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  and  a  few  years  after- 
ward, about  the  close  of  the  civil  war,  his  parents  removed  to  Port  Chester, 
taking  up  their  residence  on  Locust  street,  where  he  has  since  made  his 
home.  He  obtained  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  this  district 
and  at  O.  W.  Starr's  Military  Academy,  which  flourished  here  in  the  early 
'80s,  and  subsequently  was  graduated  at  the  New  York  University  in  1883, 
with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  In  the  following  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
at  Poughkeepsie  and  for  a  short   time  thereafter  was  clerk  in  the  office  of 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  855 

ex-Governor  John  T.  Hoffman,  in  New  York  city.  Since  that  time  he  has 
engaged  in  practice  on  his  own  account,  and  his  superior  ability  has  enabled 
him  to  gain  a  position  of  distinction  at  the  Westchester  bar. 


SAMUEL  T.   CLARK. 


Samuel  T.  Clark,  a  well  known  resident  of  New  Castle  township,  West- 
chester county,  has  made  his  home  here,  on  his  present  farm,  for  the  past 
twenty  years,  during  which  time  he  has  gained  an  enviable  reputation  for 
uprightness  and  good  citizenship.  He  has  been  very  successful  in  his  various 
business  enterprises,  and  is  justly  entitled  to  the  prosperity  which  crowns  his 
efforts. 

The  Clark  family  of  which  the  subject  of  this  article  is  a  most  worthy 
representative,  originated  in  England.  His  father,  Samuel  Thompson  Clark, 
was  a  native  of  the  city  of  London,  and  there  learned  the  business  of  manu- 
facturing hats.  Desiring  to  become  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  "the 
land  of  the  free,"  he  crossed  the  ocean  and  took  up  his  abode  in  the  town  of 
Mystic,  Connecticut.  There  he  married  Lucinda  Thompson,  a  native  of  the 
place,  and  some  time  afterward  removed  to  Chenango  county.  New  York, 
where  they  reared  their  large  family.  The  father  died  when  in  his  fiftieth 
year,  in  Norwich.  The  mother,  surviving  him  many  years,  died  when  she 
had  reached  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-five  years.  She  was  a  lady  who  was 
universally  loved  and  esteemed  and  for  years  she  was  an  active  and  zealous 
member  of  the  Baptist  church, 

S.  T.  Clark,  who  was  born  in  Norwich,  Chenango  county.  New  York, 
January  13,  1827,  is  one  of  thirteen  children,  ten  of  whom  were  sons.  Their 
names  in  the  order  of  birth'  are  as  follows:  William,  Mary  Ann,  Abigail, 
Charles,  Calvin,  Hannah,  Lewis,  Daniel,  Samuel  T.,  Edward,  Jasper,  Les- 
ter and  Horace. 

The  youth  of  our  subject  was  spent  in  his  native  county,  his  education 
in  the  higher  branches  of  learning  being  gained  in  Oxford  Seminary.  When 
he  was  about  seventeen  years  of  age  he  entered  a  store  at  Norwich,  as  a  clerk, 
and  there  acquired  the  rudiments  of  business  training,  after  which  he  con- 
tinued merchandising  for  several  years  in  that  town.  In  1866  he  went  to 
New  York  city  and  for  the  following  twelve  years  was  occupied  in  business 
affairs  in  the  metropolis.  In  1878  he  removed  to  the  homestead  which  he 
is  now  engaged  in  cultivating,  and  has  since  resided  here.  The  place  is  a 
well-kept,  fertile,  desirable  farm  in  every  respect,  and  comprises  two  hundred 
acres.  Fifty  acres  of  this 'is  covered  by  a  fine  old  orchard,  and  a  ready 
market  is  found  for  the  numerous  varieties  of  fruit   which  are  grown  on  this 


856  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

place.  Mr.  Clark  has  been  engaged  in  the  milk  and  dairy  business  to  some 
extent  and  has  derived  a  good  income  from  this  source  alone. 

During  his  residence  in  this  community,  Mr.  Clark  has  won  the  esteem 
of  his  neighbors  and  those  who  have  been  associated  with  him  in  one  way  or 
another.  Prior  to  the  civil  war  he  was  a  strong  abolitionist  and  since  the 
organization  of  the  Republican  party  he  has  been  one  of  its  sturdiest  defenders. 
He  is  at  present  serving  in  the  responsible  office  of  justice  of  the  peace. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Clark  and  Miss  Anna  M.  Thomson,  of  New  York 
city,  was  celebrated  in  1872.  Mrs.  Clark  is  a  daughter  of  William  A.  and 
Mary  (Corwin)  Thomson,  and  is  of  Scotch  descent.  Two  children  blessed 
the  union  of  our  subject  and  wife;  Mary  C. ,  Mrs.  Robert  L.  Tompkins,  and 
William  A.  T.,  who  is  at  home  and  assists  his  father  in  the  general  manage- 
ment of  the  farm. 


WILLIAM  J.  GRANEY. 


William  J.  Graney,  in  whom  public  confidence  has  reposed  positions  of 
public  trust,  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  residents  of  Westchester  county 
and  is  now  serving  as  state  senator.  His  has  been  an  honorable  record,  well 
worthy  of  emulation  from  the  time  when,  forced  by  circumstances  to  give  up 
his  cherished  hopes  of  a  collegiate  course,  he  started  out  to  make  his  own 
way  in  the  world.  Most  of  our  best  men  are  "self-made,"  and  among  the 
histories  of  the  leading,  substantial  and  successful  men  of  this  locality  that 
of  Senator  Graney  deserves  a  high  place  by  reason  of  his  well-directed 
efforts,  broad  charities  and  public  spirit. 

Born  on  the  5th  of  May,  1858,  at  Dobbs  Ferry,  New  York,  he  attended 
the  public  schools  and  was  graduated  at  the  high  school  there.  After  his 
father's  death  it  became  necessary  that  he  seek  employment  as  a  means 
whereby  he  might  support  his  widowed  mother  and  his  sisters,  and,  putting 
aside  his  own  ambitions  for  a  collegiate  education,  he  sought  and  obtained  a 
position  as  bookkeeper  in  a  leading  mercantile  establishment  at  Dobbs 
Ferry,  where  he  remained  for  several  years,  his  services  proving  very  satis- 
factory to  his  employer  and  creditable  to  himself.  His  business-like  meth- 
ods and  thorough  reliability  attracted  the  attention  of  Warner  D.  Hatch, 
president  of  the  Hatch  Lithographing  Company,  by  whom  he  was  offered  a 
position.  In  that  house  he  rapidly  worked  his  way  upward  and  served  as 
manager  for  the  firm  until  their  retirement  from  business. 

Mr.  Graney  has  been  a  very  prominent  factor  in  political  circles,  and 
gives  an  unwavering  support  to  the  Democratic  party.  No  man  in  West- 
chester county  has  labored  more  untiringly  or  effectively  for  its  interests,  and 
for  many  years  he  has  been  the  able  chairman  of  the  town  committee  and  a 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  857 

member  of  the  Democratic  county  committee,  also  serving  as  its  ciiairman 
for  several  years.  His  powers  of  organization,  his  executive  ability,  and  his 
keenness  in  foretelling"  results  contributed  in  no  small  measure  to  the  suc- 
cess which  has  attended  the  Democracy  in  Westchester  county.  His  first 
official  service  was  in  the  office  of  clerk  of  the  village  of  Dobbs  Ferry.  In 
1892  he  was  the  Democratic  nominee  for  register  of  the  county  and  was 
elected  by  a  large  majority;  but  in  1895  was  defeated  for  the  same  office, 
owing  to  the  great  Republican  tidal  wave  which  swept  the  county.  Never- 
theless he  ran  fifteen  hundred  ahead  of  his  ticket,  which  was  certainly  a 
compliment  to  his  ability  and  an  indication  of  the  confidence  reposed  in  him. 
He  was  elected  to  the  general  assembly  by  a  majority  of  one  thousand  in  a 
district  which  the  year  previously  had  given  a  Republican  majority  of  twenty- 
five  hundred,  and  in  1898  he  was  elected  to  represent  the  second  district  in 
the  state  senate,  so  that  he  is  the  present  incumbent  in  that  position.  While 
in  the  lower  house  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  committees  on  insurance, 
railroads,  and  fish  and  game,  and  in  the  senate  on  the  committees  on  insur- 
ance, roads  and  agriculture.  He  has  been  instrumental  in  securing  the 
passage  of  some  fifty-eight  bills,  all  of  local  interest  to  Westchester  county, 
including  the  one  making  New  Rochelle  a  city.  He  has  always  favored  the 
labor  element  and  is  active  in  all  legislation  which  has  benefited  the  work- 
ing-man. 

In  1893  Senator  Graney  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Louise 
Maher,  of  Dobbs  Ferry,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Maher.  She  was  called  to 
the  home  beyond  December  22,  1897.  Mr.  Graney  is  a  very  popular  citi- 
zen, broad  and  liberal  in  his  views  and  judgments,  strong  in  his  convictions 
and  earnest  in  his  opinions.  Self-willed  but  not  obstinate,  a  strong,  stalwart 
character  whose  life  record  will  bear  the  closest  scrutiny  without  suffering 
criticism,  such  men  leave  a  lasting  impress  for  good,  and  the  story  of  their 
lives  cannot  fail  to  exert  a  beneficial  influence  on  the  youth  of  succeeding 
generations. 


SETH  SHOVE,  M.   D. 


We  live  in  a  world  of  fractional  truths,  of  judgments  resting  on  frac- 
tional premises.  Perhaps  this  is  not  more  manifest  than  in  our  estimates  of 
men's  lives.  We  are  prone  to  judge  their  conduct  by  a  fixed  standard,  with- 
out much  reference  to  the  conditions  under  which  they  act, — to  exact  of  all 
like  results  in  like  positions,  with  little  consideration  for  the  peculiar  charac- 
ter of  each,  which  essentially  enters  into  and  qualifies  his  work.  We  make 
more  allowance  for  the  intellectuality  of  men,  forgetting  that  character  is  a 
greater  power  in  life  than  mere  intellect.     Philosophically  considered,  ability 


858  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

includes  character  as  well  as  intellect  or  knowledge.  With  how  great  ven- 
eration, and  even  humility,  may  we  then  view  such  a  life  as  was  that  of  the 
honored  subject  of  this  memoir, — a  life  that  typified  the  apotheosis  of 
nobility  in  characterity;  a  life  in  which  intellectuality  was  vital,  permeat- 
ing, certain;  a  life  dignified  by  simplicity  and  by  a  gentleness  that  spread 
wide  its  wings  to  shelter  all  who  were  in  "in  any  way  afflicted  in  mind, 
body  or  estate;"  a  life,  in  short,  in  which  great  powers  co-ordinated  them- 
selves to  produce  a  character  which  was  a  benediction  to  all  whom  it  touched. 
In  a  consideration  of  the  life  and  services  of  Dr.  Shove,  whose  name  is 
revered  throughout  the  county  where  so  many  years  of  his  long  and  useful  life 
were  passed,  there  would  be  a  manifest  incongruity  in  having  recourse  to  ful- 
some eulogy,  since  his  was  a  nature  signally  modest,  self-abnegating  and 
unassuming.  His  life  was  purposeful,  canopied  and  directed  by  duty;  and 
though  there  was  naught  of  supine  inefficiency  in  connection  with  either  his 
mental  or  moral  attributes  and  actions,  yet  that  one  tender  word,  pregnant 
with  meaning,  "  simpleness, "  denotes  his  character  so  truly  that  the  biog- 
raphist  would  but  do  violence  to  the  record  of  honest  worth  and  honest 
endeavor  were  he  to  speak  of  the  honored  dead  in  terms  other  than  those  of 
quiet  appreciation  and  reverence. 

Dr.  Seth  Shove,  who  was  engaged  in  the  active  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion in  Westchester  county.  New  York,  for  nearly  half  a  century,  retaining^ 
his  residence  at  Katonah,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  having  been  born  in 
Warren,  Litchfield  county,  that  state,  on  the  8th  of  August,  1805,  being  of 
stanch  old  New  England  stock.  His  parents,  Levi  and  Abigail  (Weed)  Shove, 
removed  from  Danbury  to  Warren,  the  historic  old  town  first  mentioned 
having  been  the  abiding  place  of  the  Shove  family  from  the  time  when  its 
first  representative  came  from  England,  early  in  the  colonial  epoch  of  the 
New  World.  The  Christian  name  borne  by  the  subject  of  this  memorial, 
Seth,  had  long  been  a  family  patronymic,  descending  from  one  generation  to 
another  in  an  unbroken  line.  Dr.  Shove's  great-grandfather  was  the  first 
minister  of  Danbury,  where  his  mortal  relics  repose  in  the  old  churchyard, 
with  this  inscription  on  the  tombstone:  "Here  lyes  ye  body  of  ye  Revd. 
Mr.  Seth  Shove,  ye  pious  and  faithful  pastor  of  ye  church  in  Danbury  39 
years,  who  died  Oct.  3d,  Anno  Domini  1735,  setatis  suag  68." 

In  the  succeeding  paragraphs  we  deem  it  expedient  to  follow  more  or 
less  closely  the  text  of  the  memorial  address  delivered  by  Rev.  J.  H.  East- 
man on  the  occasion  of  the  funeral  of  Dr.  Shove,  February  27,  1878.  From 
his  earliest  childhood  the  Doctor  gave  evidence  of  a  decided  predilection  for 
those  studies  and  pursuits  to  which  his  after  hfe  was  devoted.  About  the 
old  farmstead  he  seized  every  opportunity  for  exercising  surgical  skill,  and 
from  his  studious  disposition  was  recognized  as  the  bookworm  of  the  family. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  859 

He  received  a  common-school  and  academic  education  at  Warren  and  in  the 
neighboring  town  of  Goshen.  At  a  very  early  age,  following  the  natural 
tendencies  displayed  from  childhood,  and  having  no  disposition  to  become  a 
farmer,  his  father  having  devoted  his  life  principally  to  agricultural  pursuits, 
he  decided  upon  a  course  of  medical  study.  Though  by  nature  modest  and 
unassuming,  as  before  stated,  he  was  not  lacking  in  the  courage  of  his  ambi- 
tion nor  in  the  will  to  acomplish  his  aims  by  personal  effort.  How  clearly 
his  early  struggles  show  forth  the  elemental  strength  and  earnestness  of  his 
character  may  be  seen  from  even  the  most  cursory  review.  The  youngest  but 
one  in  a  family  of  eleven  children,  his  father  was  able  to  render  him  but  little 
assistance,  and  in  order  to  secure  the  necessary  means  for  his  professional 
education  he  taught  school  for  some  time  in  his  native  town  of  Warren,  as 
well  as  in  Kent  and  in  Fishkill,  New  York.  While  at  the  last  named  place 
he  pursued  his  medical  studies  under  the  direction  of  a  physician  residing^ 
there,  and  later  continued  his  specific  study  under  the  preceptorage  of  Dr. 
Hatch,  of  New  Preston,  Connecticut.  Finally  he  was  enabled  to  matriculate 
in  the  medical  department  of  Yale  College,  where  he  received  his  coveted 
degree  on  the  4th  of  March,  1829. 

Within  the  following  summer  Dr.  Shove  made  a  tour  on  horseback, 
seeking  a  favorable  place  for  location.  Starting  from  his  home  in  Warren, 
he  came  first  to  New  York  and  visited  the  neighboring  towns  on  Long  Island. 
A  desirable  opening  presented  itself  at  Flushing,  and  for  a  time  he  was 
inclined  to  establish  himself  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  that  point. 
Finally,  however,  he  decided  to  continue  his  journey  northward  through 
Westchester  county,  for  the  purpose  of  making  farther  investigation  and 
inquiry.  Coming  to  the  house  of  Dr.  Bowron,  then  living  in  New  Castle,  a 
favorable  location  in  the  neighboring  town  of  Bedford  was  recommended  to 
him.  Following  the  directions  given,  he  rode  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Squire 
Wood,  a  relative,  residing  on  Cherry  street,  just  opposite  the  late  residence 
of  Dr.  Shove.  Mr.  Wood  at  once  told  him,  "This  is  the  place  for  you." 
Cherry  street  was  then  a  post-office  and  the  business  center  of  this  region, 
containing  flourishing  stores  and  shops,  while  the  present  site  of  Katonah 
was  a  sandbank. 

Deciding  to  locate  here,  he  returned  to  his  home,  made  the  necessary 
preparations,  and  came  back  to  settle  permanently  on  the  6th  of  August, 
1829.  On  November  17th  of  the  same  year  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Irene  Pulford,  of  Warren,  Connecticut,  and  they  commenced  keeping 
house  that  winter,  on  the  site  of  the  present  residence  of  the  family.  At  the 
funeral  services  were  present  a  number  of  venerable  citizens  who  had  been 
familiar  with  his  public  life  as  a  physician  from  the  very  beginning,  and  it  is 
worthy  of  note  that  the   one  for  whom  he  performed  his  first  professional 


860  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

service  in  Katonah,  nearly  forty-nine  years  previously,  stood  by  his  bedside 
when  he  breathed  his  life  so  peacefully  away.  In  this  community  he  lived 
for  nearly  half  a  century,  gaining  for  himself  the  highest  distinction  in  his 
profession,  both  as  a  physician  and  surgeon,  founding  a  practice  extending 
for  miles  into  neighboring  counties  and  into  Connecticut,  and  strengthening 
year  by  year  the  ties  of  confidence  and  love  which  have  bound  him  so  closely 
to  many  homes  and  hearts.  His  life  was  remarkable  not  alone  for  the 
length  of  his  professional  services  but  for  the  untiring  energy  with  which  he 
devoted  himself  to  his  arduous  work.  He  was  blessed  with  wonderful  vigor 
and  powers  of  endurance,  and  never  was  the  supplicating  voice  of  suffering 
permitted  by  him  to  go  unanswered,  no  matter  what  the  sacrifice  or  labor 
involved.  He  seemed  to  look  upon  his  profession  as  imposing  a  sacred  obli- 
gation and  duty,  and  his  life  was  signally  consecrated  to  the  good  of  his  fel- 
low men.  The  number  of  those  who  pursued  their  medical  studies  under 
his  care  was  very  large,  and  the  kindness  and  courtesy  with  which  he  ever 
treated  his  younger  associates  have  been  a  bright  feature  of  his  career.  As 
exemplifying  his  devotion  to  his  noble  calling,  we  can  not  do  better  than  to 
give  the  exact  words  of  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Eastman: 

In  thinking  of  the  busy  life  of  Dr.  Shove,  spent  in  riding  over  these  hills  and  through 
these  valleys,  for  miles  in  all  directions,  visiting  the  sick  and  healing  all  manner  of  diseases, 
-and  gaining  for  himself  the  love  and  confidence  of  so  many  grateful  hearts,  I  could  but  think 
of  the  Master,  and  these  words  spoken  of  Him  came  at  once  into  my  mind:  "And  Jesus  went 
about  all  Galilee,  healing  all  manner  of  sickness  and  all  manner  of  diseases  among  men.'' 
And  such  was  the  life  work  of  this  disciple  of  the  Master,  following  thus  closely  in  the  foot- 
steps of  Him  whom  he  loved  and  delighted  to  honor  and  serve.  And  it  has  seemed  to  me 
that  there  are  several  respects  in  which  his  work  as  a  physician  resembles  most  closely  the 
work  of  the  Master.  Like  Hi;?,  it  was  the  work  of  self-sacrifice.  A  spirit  of  self-forgetfulness 
characterized  it  from  beginning  to  end.  With  him,  as  with  the  Master,  there  was  no  respect  of 
persons:  rich  and  poor,  high  and  low,  received  the  same  impartial  treatment,  and  that  perfect 
courtesy,  which  was  one  of  his  most  striking  characteristics,  was  bestowed  on  all  alike.  With 
him,  as  with  the  Master,  there  was  no  thought  of  personal  reward  or  gain.  Like  that  of  the 
Master,  his  work  was  a  consecrated  work.  He  gave  himself  entirely  to  it  for  the  work's  sake- 
He  seems  to  me  the  most  remarkable  instance  I  have  ever  known  of  complete  devotion  to  a 
chosen  life-work.  His  heart,  mind  and  soul  were  absorbed  in  his  profession,  and  to  it  he  bent 
every  energy.  The  result  of  fifty  years  of  such  consecration,  who  will  attempt  to  estimate? 
He  died  in  the  harness,  as  had  been  his  wish. 

His  was  the  faith  that  made  faithful.  He  had  an  abiding  faith  in  the 
doctrines  of  Christianity,  and  exemplified  his  faith  in  his  life  and  works.  He 
was  a  man  of  distinct  culture  and  refined  tastes,  drawing  ever  from  the  well- 
springs  of  a  manhood  essentially  deep  and  pure.  The  death  of  Dr.  Shove 
occurred  on  the  24th  of  February,  1878,  and  the  community  mourned  in 
common  for  the  loss  of  a  friend  and  a  man  loved  and  venerated  for  his  many 
noble  attributes  of  character.  He  had  continued  in  his  wonted  duties  up  to 
•within  but  a  few  days  prior  to  his  decease,  his  death  resulting  from  a  cerebral 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  861 

lesion,  of  which  there  had  been  numerous  premonitory  symptoms.  He 
passed  peacefully  away  secure  in  the  honor  and  esteem  of  men,  in  the  full- 
ness of  years  and  of  noble  endeavor.  The  funeral  obsequies  and  memorial 
services  were  held  at  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  Katonah  on  Wednes- 
day, February  27th,  and  the  edifice  was  not  sufficient  to  accommodate  the 
great  assemblage  of  those,  of  all  classes  of  society,  who  assembled  to  pay  a 
parting  tribute  to  a  loved  friend  and  honored  citizen.  A  large  number  of 
physicians  from  neighboring  points,  as  well  as  from  greater  distances  were 
present,  and  addresses  were  delivered  by  Dr.  Fisher, of  Sing  Sing;  Dr.  Hodg- 
son, White  Plains;  Rev.  Edmund  Lewis  and  Rev.  J.  H.  Eastman, — all  giving 
voice  to  the  high  ability  and  the  exalted  character  of  the  deceased.  The  re- 
mains of  the  honored  dead  were  then  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  at  the  rear 
of  the  church,  and  the  record  of  a  true  and  noble  life  found  its  mortal  pages 
turned  down;  the  immortal  book  was  opened. 

In  conclusion  we  may  revert  briefly  to  the  professional  associations  and 
domestic  life  of  Dr.  Shove.  He  was  a  member  of  the  American  Medical 
Association  and  for  seventeen  years  prior  to  his  death  had  been  a  member  of 
ths  State  Medical  Society.  He  was  also  one  of  the  earliest  members  of  the 
Westchester  County  Medical  Society,  holding  at  various  times  all  the  impor- 
tant official  positions  in  the  same,  having  been  president  of  the  society  a  num- 
ber of  terms  in  succession.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers,  and  the  first 
president,  of  the  Croton  Medical  and  Surgical  Union,  and  on  the  i8th  of  May, 
1833,  he  was  appointed,  by  Governor  William  L.  Marcy,  surgeon  of  the 
Thirty-eighth  Regiment  of  New  York  Infantry.  He  was  recognized  by  his 
professional  confreres  as  a  surgeon  of  great  skill  and  as  a  physician  who  kept 
fully  in  touch  with  advances  made  in  medical  science,  his  knowledge  of  all 
branches  being  broad,  exact  and  practical. 

Of  the  marriage  of  Dr.  Seth  Shove  and  Irene  jze'e  Pulford,  the  following 
children  were  born,  namely:  Sarah,  who  married  Benjamin  F.  Bonnett  and 
had  one  son,'  Seth  S. ;  Ellen,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years;  Irene,  the 
wife  of  Dr.  J.  M.  Chapman,  and  had  two  sons, — Dr.  Charles  Francis  and 
Herbert;  Seth,  Jr.,  who  died  in  infancy;  and  Mary  M.,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years.  Mrs.  Irene  P.  Shove,  the  mother  of  these  children,  died  at 
the  old  homestead  in  Cherry  street,  December  7,  1887,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
two  years. 


AZARIAH  CARPENTER. 

Azariah  Carpenter,  late  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  citizens  of  Sing 
Sing,  was  born  October  19,  1828,  at  the  home  of  his  maternal  grandfather, 
William  Quinby,  known  as  the  Quinby  Home,  in  the  town  of  New  Castle. 


«62  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

His  father  was  Joseph  T.  Carpenter,  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth  Car- 
penter, and  his  mother  was  Hannah,  daughter  of  WiUiam  and  Phebe  How- 
land  Quinby.  His  grandfathers  were  farmers,  owning  adjoining  farms.  Mr. 
Carpenter's  father  was  born  and  raised  in  the  town  of  New  Castle,  the  eldest 
of  two  sons  of  James  Carpenter,  his  brother  Zopher  being  five  years  younger 
than  he.  His  father  was  born  in  1800  and  died  in  186 1.  He  was  a  farmer, 
but  active  in  politics,  a  Democrat  of  the  Jacksonian  order — always  a  Demo- 
crat. He  was  personally  popular  and  held  many  positions  of -honor,  among 
them  supervisor  of  the  town  many  years  and  chairman  of  the  board.  He  was 
elected  to  the  assembly  in  November,  1840,  and  re-elected  the  following  year. 
Mr.  Carpenter's  mother  was  the  daughter  of  William  Quinby  and  also  born  in 
1800,  and  always  resided  in  the  town  of  New  Castle.  All  of  his  ancestors 
were  members  of  the  Religious  Society  of  Friends,  and  he  was  proud  to  pos- 
sess a  birthright  membership  in  that  society.  His  certificate  of  membership 
was  transferred  from  Chappaq.ua  to  the  New  York  monthly  meeting,  where 
he  was  connected  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

In  his  sixth  year,  the  parents  of  our  subject,  at  that  time  residing  with 
his  grandfather  Carpenter,  removed  to  the  farm  formerly  owned  by  Abram 
Hyatt,  and  afterward  called  "Our  Glenmary,"  and  owned  by  him.  He  was 
given  a  good  opportunity  to  attend  the  district  school  on  the  top  of  the  hill 
on  the  road  to  the  Chappaqua  meeting-house.  This  was  continued  until  he 
was  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he  went  as  clerk  in  the  store  of  Jackson 
Hyatt,  at  Pine's  Bridge,  with  whom  he  remained  for  two  years,  when  he 
went  to  New  York  in  the  employ  of  Townsend  H.  Underbill,  in  Cedar  street, 
in  the  domestic  dry-goods  business,  his  duties  being  in  the  office.  He  studied 
bookkeeping  and  attended  evening  classes.  Mr.  Underbill  died  while  Mr. 
Carpenter  was  with  him — something  over  three  years.  He  remained  a  year 
with  Jonathan  Odell,  who  was  executor  of  his  estate.  He  was  then  a  year 
with  Lancaster  Underbill,  in  the  same  street,  and  in  the  same  line  of  busi- 
ness. While  there,  Reuben  W.  Howes  came  and  offered  him  the  position  of 
bookkeeper  with  him,  then  R.  W.  Howes  &  Company,  in  the  wholesale  boot 
and  shoe  business,  and  he  commenced  there  January  i,  1850.  He  was 
taken  into  the  firm  as  Howes,  Hyatt  &  Company  as  a  partner  on  July  3, 
1855.  He  continued  a  member  of  the  firm  until  February  i,  1869,  when  he 
withdrew,  but  after  that  and  until  March  i,  1871,  he  continued  its  financial 
manager. 

On  March  i,  1871,  he  was  appointed  assistant  vice-president  of  the 
Manhattan  Gas  Light  Company,  and  in  the  year  1874  he  was  made  vice- 
president  and  remained  such  until  1884,  when  the  consolidation  of  the  gas 
companies  was  consummated,  and  then  his  position  was  changed  to  superin- 
tendent  of  the   Consolidated  Gas   Company,  at  the  same   place,  which  he 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  863 

continued  until  November,  1897.  when,  on  account  of  his  faihng  health,  he 
retired. 

Mr.  Carpenter  married  Mary  C.  Baxter,  daughter  of  Timothy  and  Maria 
Ann  Baxter,  on  November  13,  185 1,  in  Brooklyn,  by  the  Hon.  Conkling 
Brush,  mayor  of  Brooklyn,  at  the  home  of  Timothy  Baxter,  74  Court  street. 
They  lived  with  his  wife's  father  and  mother  for  three  years,  when  they 
began  housekeeping  at  181  Schermerhorn  street,  Brooklyn,  having  purchased 
the  property.  They  came  to  Sing  Sing  in  1857  and  purchased  the  Nickerson 
place  at  the  top  of  the  Dock  Hill,  in  Main  street,  or  High  street,  as  it  was 
then  called.  They  lived  in  the  old  house  for  three  years  and  then  moved 
into  a  new  one  which  he  built  upon  the  property  and  which  was  the  one  in 
which  he  died. 

Mr.  Carpenter  was  elected  a  trustee  of  this  village  on  March  6,  i860, 
and  again  elected  March  5,  1861,  and  re-elected  each  year  afterward  until 
chosen  president,  March  7,  1865.  He  was  elected  a  trustee  of  the  Sing  Sing 
Savings  Bank,  June  16,  1862,  and  appointed  chairman  of  the  examining 
committee.  He  resigned  his  village  trusteeship  owing  to  removal  from  the 
village,  but  was  again  elected  on  March  16,  1883,  having  returned,  but 
declined  to  serve.  He  was  also  elected  a  trustee  of  Mount  Pleasant  Military 
Academy,  being  proposed  by  General  Aaron  Ward.  He  served  several  years 
as  such  trustee,  until  May,  1861,  when  he  resigned  on  removal  from  the 
village.  Mr.  Carpenter  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Society  for  the  Pre- 
vention of  Cruelty  to  Children  January  6,  1876.  He  was  tendered  the 
nomination  for  supervisor  of  the  town  of  New  Castle,  March  22,  1876,  but 
declined  to  run,  as  his  cousin,  Francis  M.  Carpenter,  was  running  on  the 
•  other  ticket.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat.  Mr.  Carpenter  was  a  trustee 
of  the  Friends'  Seminary,  Sixteenth  street  and  Rutherford  Place,  for  many 
years,  and  was  a  member  of  the  representative  committee  of  the  yearly 
meeting. 

By  his  death,  July  i,  1899,  he  left  a  widow  and  five  grown  sons — 
Charles,  Azariah  Frederick,  J.  Herbert,  Harry  M.  and  William  M. 


ISAAC  E.  YOUNG. 


Isaac  E.  Young,  superintendent  of  the  public  schools  at  New  Rochelle, 
New  York,  is  a  gentleman  who  has  long  been  identified  with  educational 
work  and  whose  life  history  includes  a  three-years  war  record.  He  was  born 
in  Sullivan  county.  New  York,  February  10,  1841,  and  is  a  son  of  David  and 
Harriet  (Carmichael)  Young.  His  boyhood  days  were  passed  in  his  native 
county  and  his  early  education  was  obtained  in  the  district  schools  near  his 
.home.      Later  he  took  a  course  and  graduated  in  the  private  school  of  Pro- 


864  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

fessor  H.  A.  Holbrook.  In  September,  i860,  he  entered  Washington 
Academy  at  Florida,  New  York,  where  he  pursued  the  study  of  Latin  and 
higher  mathematics,  and  subsequently  was  for  a  time  a  student  at  Seneca 
Institute,  New  York.  His  career  as  a  teacher  began  previous  to  the  civil 
war,  at  Sparrowbush,  New  York,  where  for  two  years  he  was  employed  as 
principal.  He  had  just  entered  upon  his  twenty-first  year  at  the  time  Fort 
Sumter  was  fired  upon,  and,  as  the  war  continued  and  additional  troops 
were  called  to  take  their  place  in  battle  line,  Mr.  Young  left  the  school- 
room and  entered  the  service  of  his  country.  He  spent  three  years  in  the 
war.  He  was  commissioned  second  lieutenant  of  the  Eighty-second  United 
States  Cavalry  Regiment,  and  was  with  his  command  a  participant  in  several 
important  engagements,  among  which  were  those  of  Port  Hudson,  Black 
mountain,  Mobile  and  Pensacola.  After  the  close  of  hostilites  he  was  in 
command  of  government  forces,  with  headquarters  at  Bristol.  During  the 
reconstruction  period  he  was  very  active  in  his  official  capacity  in  removing 
the  disability  from  many  of  the  more  prominent  Confederates. 

Returning  to  New  York  in  1868,  Mr.  Young  again  took  up  his  educa- 
tional work,  accepting  a  position  as  principal  of  the  Westchester  schools, 
Westchester  county,  which  he  filled  for  thirteen  consecutive  years.  He  came 
in  1880  to  New  Rochelle  and  as  principal  took  charge  of  the  schools  at  this 
place.  This  responsible  position  he  still  occupies.  During  the  eighteen  years 
of  his  identity  with  the  New  Rochelle  schools  he  has  done  much  to  advance 
their  interests.  He  has  won  and  retains  a  warm  place  in  the  hearts  of  the 
people  here,  by  pupil  and  patron  alike  being  held  in  the  highest  esteem. 

Mr.  Young  was  married  in  1861  to  Miss  Emily  J.  Goble,  of  Florida, 
New  York,  daughter  of  Ellas  Goble,  Esq.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young  have  one 
daughter  living,  Bessie  M.     They  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


ALBERT  E.   SMITH. 


The  name  of  this  excellent  citizen  will  ever  be  inseparably  associated 
with  many  of  the  substantial  building  enterprises  that  have  built  up  Yonkers 
and  given  the  city  its  present  prominence  in  southeastern  New  York.  He  is 
most  enterprising  and  energetic,  and  by  the  exercise  of  those  important  qualities 
has  gained  a  standing  in  the  business  world  that  is  indeed  enviable.  Suc- 
cess comes  not  to  the  man  who  idly  waits,  but  to  the  faithful  toiler  whose 
work  is  characterized  by  sleepless  vigilance  and  cheerful  alacrity,  and  it  is  in 
this  manner  that  Mr.  Smith  has  gained  the  prosperity  which  now  crowns  his- 
efforts. 

The  family  of  which  he  is  a  representative  lived  for  several  generations 
in  Nova  Scotia.      His  paternal  grandfather,  Fairfield  Smith,  was  a  native  of 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  865 

that  country,  where  throughout  his  entire  hfe  he  engaged  in  farming.  He 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  deputy  sheriff  and  was  captain  of  a  com- 
pany of  miHtia,  taking  part  in  the  drills.  He  was  of  English  descent  and 
held  the  religious  faith  of  the  majority  of  the  English  people,  being  a  mem- 
ber of  St.  Mary's  Episcopal  church.  He  married  a  Miss  Magee,  and  their 
children  were  John  M.,  Eliza,  Henry,  Maggie  and   Frederick. 

John  M.  Smith,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Nova  Scotia,  and 
acquired  a  good  education  in  the  public  schools.  He  engaged  in  farming  and; 
merchandising,  and  also  did  some  speculating  and  legal  business.  He  heldi 
the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace,  and  for  a  time  was  a  member  of  the  comr- 
pany  of  militia  of  which  his  father  was  captain.  He  also  was  a  member  of 
the  Episcopal  church.  He  wedded  Miss  Mary  Condon,  and  to  them  were 
born  five  sons  and  five  daughters,  namely:  Ida,  Fannie,  Louise,  Amy, 
Mabel,  Frank,  Albert,  Austin  and  Vernon.  The  father  passed  away  in  1891, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years,  his  last  days  being  spent  in  New  York  city^. 
and  his  wife  died  at  the  age  of  forty-four  years. 

Albert  Edward  Smith  was  born  in  Nova  Scotia,  November  28,  1865,. 
and  to  the  public  schools  of  his  native  land  is  indebted  for  the  educational, 
privileges  which  he  enjoyed.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  put  aside  his  text- 
books, came  to  Yonkers,  and  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  followed, 
in  the  employ  of  others  until  1887,  when  he  began  contracting  and  building 
on  his  own  account.  His  success  has  been  almost  phenomenal  and  indicates 
his  superior  business  and  executive  ability,  his  marked  skill  in  the  line  of  his 
chosen  vocation,  his  thorough  reliability  and  his  sound  judgment.  He  has 
erected  and  sold  many  buildings,  and  has  been  prominently  connected  with 
the  building  interests  of  New  York  city.  At  the  corner  of  One  Hundred  and 
second  Street  and  Ninth  avenue,  he  erected  property  worth  four  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars,  employing  as  many  as  two  hundred  hands.  He  gives 
his  personal  supervision  to  the  work,  which  is  always  of  a  most  substantial 
character,  and  which  stands  as  a  monument  to  his  thrift  and  enterprise.  He 
has  erected  in  Yonkers  a  number  of  excellent  flat  buildings  and  now  has  in 
course  of  erection,  at  the  corner  of  Woodworth  Point  street  and  Ravine, 
avenue,  ten  houses,  the  property  being  valued  at  seventy-five  thousand  dol- 
lars. In  a  single  year  he  has  erected  property  to  the  value  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty  thousand  dollars,  and  in  this  manner  has  contributed  largely  to  the 
improvement  of  the  city. 

On  the  27th  of  April,  1886,  Mr.  Smith  married  Miss  Lizzie  Wagner,  of 
Sing  Sing,  New  York,  and  to  them  have  been  born  three  sons:  Albert,  Har- 
old and  Wallace.  The  family  attend  St.  John's  Episcopal  church,  of  which 
Mr.  Smith  is  a  member.      In  his  political  affiliations  he  is  a  Republican  and, 

keeping  well   informed  on  the    issues  of  the  day,   casts  an  intelligent  ballot 
55 


■866  '  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

for  the  men  and  measures  of  his  party,  but  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for 
office.  His  life  has  been  a  success.  He  has  accumulated  a  handsome  com- 
petence and  to  this  end  has  used  only  such  means  as  will  bear  the  closest 
scrutiny.  All  honor  him  for  his  blameless  record.  His  actions  have  during 
his  life  been  such  as  to  distinctively  entitle  him  to  a  place  in  the  history  of 
the  representative  men  of  Westchester  county,  and  although  his  career  has 
not  been  filled  with  thrilling  incidents,  probably  no  biography  published  in  this 
work. can  serve  as  a  better  illustration  to  young  men  of  the  power  of  enter- 
prise and  integrity  in  insuring  success. 


CHARLES  H.  CHASE. 


T"ew  men  in  the  community  are  better  known  or  rank  higher  in  the  esteem 
of  their  fellow  men  than  Charles  H.  Chase,  of  Peekskill.  He  has  been  singularly 
fortunate  in  his  business  and  is  one  of  those  rare  individuals  whom  prosperity 
does  not  spoil.  He  was  born  July  27,  1849,  in  Westchester  county,  about 
two  miles  from  Peekskill,  New  York,  on  the  old  homestead,  his  parents  being 
Herman  B.  and  Emaline  (Losey)  Chase. 

The  Chase  family  have  taken  a  prominent  part  in  the  early  struggles  of 
this  country  and  its  later  development,  so  the  name  is  a  familiar  one  in  the 
pages  of  history.  They  are  of  English  origin,  and  we  find  from  the  genealogy 
of  the  family  that  this  branch  was  descended  from  a  peer  of  the  realm.  -This 
gentleman  had  several  sons,  the  youngest  of  whom,  William,  knowing  that 
he  could  not  hope  for  a  home  on  the  landed  estates  of  his  father,  determined 
to  try  his  fortunes  in  the  new  country,  America.  Accordingly,  after  bidding 
farewell  to  family  and  friends,  he  took  passage  on  shipboard,  intending  to 
join  the  Massachusetts  colony;  but  fate  willed  it  otherwise,  and  while  off  the 
coast  of  Newfoundland  he  was  washed  overboard  and  after  a  hard  struggle 
reached  shore,  more  dead  than  alive.  He  made  his  way  to  Nova  Scotia, 
and  after  remaining  a  year  he  once  more  started  for  Massachusetts,  settling 
in  Cape  Cod,  was  married  and  reared  a  large  family.  One  of  his  sons, 
Obediah,  having  the  roving  disposition  of  his  father,  left  for  new  scenes,  and 
made  his  home  in  the  then  new  colony  of  New  York.  Here  he  spent  his 
early  manhood  and  here  espoused  Miss  Susanna  Knapp.  They  located  in 
what  is  now  the  county-seat  of  Putnam  county.  New  York,  where  he  built 
him  a  "dug-out,"  spending  considerable  time  in  hewing  the  timbers  and 
making  his  home  cosy  and  strong.  Here  he  raised  his  family  of  seven  sons 
and  five  daughters,  and  they  assisted  him  in  the  cultivation  of  the  farm,  which 
he  had  obtained  from  the  government. 

The  first  gun  of  the  Revolution  was  now  heard,  being  the  firing  upon 
•Charlestown,  Massachusetts.    He  was  plowing  in  the  field  with  his  oxen  when 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  &67 

the  news  of  the  trouble  reached  him.  Leaving  the  team  standing  in  the 
field,  he  walked  quietly  to  his  "dug-out  "  and  said  to  his  wife:  "  There  is  a 
great  duty  before  me, — first  to  my  God,  second  to  my  country,  and  the  third 
to  my  family,  which  I  am  about  to  leave.  Charlestown  has  been  fired  upon 
by  the  British  and  my  country  calls  me  to  help  protect  her  interests,  so  I  will 
leave  you  in  charge  of  our  family  and  hasten  to  join  the  rebel  forces  against 
King  George."  He  kissed  his  wife  and  family  good-bye,  took  up  his  musket 
and  started  on  foot  to  the  front  to  join  the  continental  army.  After  endur- 
ing great  hardships  he  reached  the  army  at,  or  near.  Bunker  Hill,  where  he 
was  gladly  welcomed  and  duly  enrolled  as  a  member.  He  fought  valiantly 
at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  traveled  with  the  army  from  post  to  post 
until  the  battle  of  Cowpens,  the  most  decisive  engagement  of  the  war.  His 
brigade  was  then  sent  north,  stopping  e7t  route  at  Philadelphia.  During  the 
winter  of  1777  they  were  encamped  in  tents  at  Valley  Forge,  and  suffered 
untold  hardships  from  scarcity  of  food  and  from  a  severe  winter,  many  of  the 
men,  he  among  the  number,  being  obliged  to  go  barefoot  the  entire  time. 
They  remained  there  during  the  summer  and  took  part  in  the  skirmishes 
which  proved  so  disastrous  to  the  British  forces.  The  latter  part  of  the 
summer  they  were  again  on  the  march,  crossing  the  Hudson  river.  The 
brigade  was  stationed  at  Fort  Lookout,  about  two  miles  from  Peekskill. 
They  were  now  under  the  command  of  General  Putnam,  and  took  part  in  the 
battle  of  Trenton,  where  the  General  made  his  famous  ride  down  the  court- 
house steps,  pursued  by  the  British.  During  this  engagement  Obediah  Chase, 
with  two  companions,  was  cut  off  from  the  main  body  of  the  army  and  sur- 
rounded byifive  red-coats  who  cried,  "Lay  down  your  arms,  you  rebels,  and 
surrender."  Not  receiving  a  reply  to  this  request,  they  loaded  their  guns 
and  fired,  killing  two  of  the  brave  colonists.  The  other  shot  had  missed  its 
mark  and  Obediah  Chase  was  left  to  battle  with  the  five  red-coats  alone. 
Before  they  could  reload  he  had  discharged  his  gun  and  one  less  enemy  was 
left  to  fight.  Clubbing  his  gun,  he  rushed  with  such  vigor  upon  the  four 
remaining  that  they  were  soon  overcome,  and  after  securing  their  arms  and 
ammunition  he  placed  them  before  him,  in  single  file,  and  gave  the  order  to 
march;  making  a  detour  he  was  able  to  deliver  his  prisoners  into  the  hands 
of  General  Putnam.  He  was  also  in  the  battle  of  Stony  Point,  July  1  5,  1779, 
under  gallant  Anthony  Wayne,  or  "Mad  Anthony,"  as  he  was  called,  and 
was  one  of  the  first  to  scale  the  wall  of  the  fort. 

After  this  battle  he  was  transferred  to  a  fort  which  stood  on  the  Hudson 
river,  at  Verplank's  Point,  and  later  to  watch  the  narrows  at  Garrison  Sta- 
tion. Being  near  his  home,  he  longed  to  visit  his  family,  and  obtained  a 
-furlough  for  that  purpose.  On  his  way  home  he  met  one  of  his  Tory  neigh- 
tors,  who  seemed  overjoyed  to  see  him  and  began  to  ask  all  kinds  of  ques- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

tions  concerning  the  affairs  of  the  continental  army.  But  he  was  suspicious 
of  this  neighbor  and  refused  to  answer  his  questions,  when  the  man  said,  "  I 
will  call  and  see  you  this  evening."  Had  he  known  why  the  Tory  was  so 
rejoiced  to  see  him  he  would  have  returned  at  once,  for  the  many  deeds  of 
valor  performed  by  him  had  reached  the  ears  of  Lord  Cornwaliis,  and  a  price 
in  gold  had  been  put  upon  his  head.  Not  knowing  this,  he  continued  on  his 
way  home,  reaching  the  same  in  safety,  and  finding  the  family  glad,  indeed, 
to  have  him  with  them  once  more.  He  was  tired  and  hungry  from  his  long 
tramp,  and  his  wife  hastened  to  prepare  him  a  hearty  meal,  after  partaking^ 
of  which  he  retired  to  the  attic — his  regular  sleeping  apartment — for  the 
night,  leaving  his  wife  to  make  fast  the  door.  While  she  was  still  occupied 
with  her  household  work  a  rap  was  heard  on  the  door  and  a  voice  inquired  if 
Obed  was  at  home.  She  replied  by  a  demand  to  know  who  was  there  and 
what  was  wanted.  The  answer  came,  "A  friend,  and  I  want  to  see  Obed." 
She  said  he  could  not  be  seen  that  night,  when  more  voices  were  heard  in 
the  yard,  and  one  said,  '"  We  will  see  him  at  any  cost,  for  a  price  has  been 
placed  on  his  head,  and  we  mean  to  take  him  and  get  the  money."  Another 
rap,  and  more  questions  and  answers  followed;  she  could  hear  the  crowd 
increasing,  and  also  hear  them  planning  for  her  husband's  capture.  One  of 
the  number  espied  a  log  and  invited  his  companions  to  lay  hold  and  break  in 
the  door,  which  they  at  once  proceeded  to  do,  as  they  had  been  unable  to 
effect  an  entrance  by  stratagem.  This,  however,  was  not  an  easy  matter  to 
accomplish,  as  the  door  was  made  of  hewed  timber  and  stoutly  barred  on  the 
inside  by  a  three-inch  oak  stick  being  placed  across  the  center  of  the  door  in 
notches  cut  in  each  side  of  the  door  posts.  Leaving  them  trying  to  effect  an 
entrance,  the  faithful  wife  retreated  to  the  attic,  pulling  after  her  the  ladder, 
the  only  means  in  those  days  of  reaching  the  upper  rooms.  Stationing  her 
eldest  daughter,  a  girl  of  eleven  years,  at  the  opening,  she  placed  a  hewed 
bed-post  in  her  hands  and  told  her  to  hit,  and  hit  hard,  any  head  appearing 
above  the  opening.  After  a  time  the  door  gave  way  and  the  Tories  made  a 
rush  for  the  opening,  expecting  to  meet  with  no  further  resistance.  In  this 
they  miscalculated,  the  first  person  trying  to  gain  access  to  the  room  above 
receiving  a  blow  that  sent  him  crashing  back  among  his  companions.  Again 
and  again  did  the  brave  girl  repulse  their  attempts,  until  seven  of  their  num- 
ber had  received  strong  and  convincing  proof  of  her  earnestness,  and  the  rest 
of  the  crowd  drew  back  to  hold  a  consultation  as  to  the  best  plan  to  pursue. 
In  the  meantime  Obediah  and  his  wife  had  not  been  idle;  they  had  made  an 
opening  in  the  room  above,  and  after  seeing  that  the  coast  was  clear  outside, 
he  crawled  out,  taking  his  trusty  rifle  with  him.  He  passed  around  to  where 
the  door  had  been,  and  the  Tories  were  very  much  surprised  to  find  them- 
selves facing  a  loaded  rifle  in  his  hands,  while  he  ordered  them  to  throw  dowa 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  869 

their  arms  and  surrender,  under  the  penalty  of  shooting  the  first  man  to  move 
in  resistance.  They  saw  a  very  determined  man,  and,  knowing  resistance  to 
be  worse  than  useless,  they  complied  by  throwing  down  their  arms,  which  he 
at  once  secured.  Their  hands  were  then  securely  bound,  and  at  break  of 
day  a  much  chagrined  lot  of  Tories  were  seen  marching  before  him  on  their 
way  to  Fort  Lookout,  where  he  delivered  them  to  General  Putnam  on  the 
same  day  that  witnessed  the  hanging  of  Palmer,  the  spy,  in  Westchester 
county.  He  continued  with  the  army  until  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  serv- 
ice, in  1 78 1,  and  received  his  pay  in  the  depreciated  currency,  hardly  worth 
a  shilling  on  the  dollar.  He  then  returned  to  his  family  and  there  remained 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  his  eightieth  year. 

Some  of  his  sons  moved  to  various  parts  of  the  state,  while  others  went 
west  and  became  persons  of  prominence.  Among  them  was  Salmon  P. 
Chase,  who  was  elected  governor  of  Ohio  on  the  Whig  ticket,  and  later  ap- 
pointed chief  justice  of  the  United  States  by  President  Lincoln;  Ezra,  with 
whom  his  mother  made  her  home  in  Tompkins  county,  New  York,  until  her 
death,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-six  years,  and  for  sixty-four  years  a 
minister  of  the  gospel;  and  John,  who  settled  in  Westchester  county.  All  of 
the  sons  reared  large  families,  and  their  ancestor's  roving  disposition  is 
noticeable  in  most  of  the  children,  as  at  almost  any  age  in  life  they  are  ready 
to  seek  new  homes.  John  Chase,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  reared  a 
large  family,  all  of  whom  are  dead  except  two,  Daniel  H.  and  Amos.  They 
were  as  follows:  Oliver,  John  D.,  Heman  B.,  Daniel  H.,  Benjamin,  Amos, 
Eliza  Ann,  Rosetta  and  Sarah. 

Heman  B.  Chase,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  upon  the  farm 
upon  which  he  died,  after  reaching  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-three  years. 
He  was  a  farmer  of  some  pretensions,  and  an  upright  Christian  gentleman. 
He  was  an  honored  and  faithful  member  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  near  Peekskill,  New  York,  and  his  death  was  a  public  loss.  His 
wife  was  Emaline  Losey,  and  to  them  were  born  four  children,  viz.:  Han- 
nah E.,  wife  of  Charles  E.  Ham,  of  Peekskill;  Charles  H.,  our  subject;  Anna, 
wife  of  Robert  Johns;  and  Ida  H.,  wife  of  Jacob  Varian. 

Charles  H.  Chase  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools,  at  the 
same  time  helping  with  whatever  work  there  was  for  him  to  do.  He  began 
driving  a  team  for  his  father  when  but  a  lad  of  nine  years,  working  in  sum- 
mer and  in  winter  attending  school.  When  seventeen  he  began  to  learn  the 
trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner,  and  when  twenty  years  old  was  placed  in 
charge  of  a  gang  of  men.  He  later  worked  at  the  trade  of  a  pattern-maker 
for  five  years  and  then  resumed  carpentering.  In  1873  he  began  to  work  for 
himself  at  the  business,  and  has  been  one  of  the  most  successful  carpenters 
in  Peekskill.      He  has  erected  over  five  hundred  buildings,  and  does  most  of 


870  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

his  own  drafting  and  designing.  He  built  two  churches  for  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  denomination  in  this  city,  and  some  of  the  dwellings  and  a  number 
of  business  blocks  are  of  his  construction.  Most  of  his  work  has  been  in  or 
near  the  city,  and  it  stands  as  a  monument  to  his  popularity  and  skill.  In 
1884  he  added  to  his  business  a  planing-mill  and  since  then  manufactures 
moldings  in  connection  with  house-building,  and  ten  years  later  he  added  a 
paint  and  varnish  department,  and  in  1897  he  erected  his  present  commo- 
dious quarters,  a  brick  building,  located  at  Nos.  16,18  and  20  Nelson  avenue, 
three  stories  in  height,  with  a  large  basement,  and  a  wing  adjoining,  in  which 
he  keeps  his  paints.  His  son  operates  a  lumber  and  coal  yard  adjoining  this 
place  of  business. 

Mr.  Chase  was  married  December  27, 1871,  to  Miss  Mary  Evalina  Appleby, 
of  Port  Jervis,  Orange  county,  New  York.  They  have  two  children:  Willis 
Henry,  who  married  Ella  G.  Stone,  of  Port  Jervis;  and  Lillian  E.,  wife  of 
Edward  J.  Tenant,  of  Peekskill.  Mr.  Chase  is  a  friend  of  education,  and 
both  his  children  have  received  superior  advantages  in  this  respect;  the  son 
graduated  from  the  Peekskill  Military  School,  and  the  daughter  from  district 
No.  7,  Peekskill,  and  also  in  music.  The  family  are  consistent  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which,  for  eleven  years,  Mr.  Chase  held" 
the  office  of  trustee.  He  is  a  Republican,  and  takes  a  part  in  all  affairs 
relating  to  the  improvement  of  the  community  or  the  betterment  of  mankind. 
He  is  a  member  of  Cryptic  Lodge,  No.  75,  L  O.  O.  P.,  and  Mount  Ararat 
Encampment,  No.  9.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Cortlandt  Hook  &  Ladder 
Company,  No.  i,  of  which  he  is  a  past  officer.  He  is  a  man  of  ripe  experi- 
ence, exceptional  capacity  and  thorough  knowledge  of  his  business,  having 
a  remarkable  degree  of  personal  popularity  among  those  who  have  come  in 
contact  with  him.  He  evinces  a  pardonable  pride  in  his  splendid  ancestral 
record,  which  includes  much  of  what  is  best  in  American  life  and  tradition. 


THOMAS  B.  CAULFIELD. 

Thomas  B.  Caulfield,  often  referred  to  affectionately  as  "  the  father  of 
the  public  library  of  Yonkers,"  was  born  at  Lowell,  Massachusetts,  in  August, 
1824,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that  city.  He  learned  the 
machinist's  trade  and  subsequently  that  of  a  steam  engineer.  He  came  to 
Yonkers  forty-five  years  ago  and  was  a  resident  of  the  place — as  village  and 
city — until  his  death,  and  was  one  of  the  stanchest  and  most  helpful  friends 
of  education  Yonkers  has  ever  had.  He  was  for  a  number  of  years  engineer  in 
the  Clipper  Mowing  Machine  Works.  From  1873  to  1883  he  was  inspector  of 
construction  at  York's  Machine  Works.  What  is  known  as  the  high-service 
pumping  system  was  perfected  in  1883,  and    Mr  .Caulfield  became  engineer 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  871 

of  the  high-service  pumping  station  and   held   the  position  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  March  14,  1899. 

Mr.  Caulfield  from  early  manhood  took  a  deep  and  helpful  interest  in  the 
cause  of  public  education.  In  1881  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  school 
board  of  the  city  of  Yonkers,  by  Mayor  Otis.  It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that 
the  first  appointments  to  the  school  board  was  made  that  year,  and  Mr. 
Caulfield's  was  one  of  them,  and  he  served  until  1884.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  committeee  for  the  establishment  of  the  Yonkers  city  library.  He  was 
made  chairman  of  the  committee,  and  to  him  was  delegated  the  not  easy 
task  of  classifying  and  aranging  new  books  and  other  publications.  Exacting 
as  were  the  demands  upon  him,  he  was  fully  equal  to  them  and  the  make-up 
of  the  library  under  his  direction  would  have  done  credit  to  the  most  expe- 
rienced librarian  in  the  country.  He  was  a  man  of  wide  reading  and  deep 
research, — one  who  knew  the  needs  of  not  only  the  casual  or  general  reader, 
but  of  the  student  along  special  lines,  and  he  brought  his  exhaustive  knowl- 
edge to  bear  upon  the  work  in  a  manner  which  incurred  the  most  satisfactory 
results.  His  enthusiasm  for  the  library,  his  tireless  work  in  its  behalf,  and 
his  generosity  in  the  cause,  have  given  him  a  place  in  local  history  as  "the 
father  of  the  public  library,"  and  his  devotion  to  it  will  make  for  public 
enlightenment  through  countless  generations.  He  was  no  less  enthusiastic 
in  his  work  as  a  member  of  the  school  board.  He  was  largely  responsible 
for  the  establishment  of  night  schools  in  Yonkers,  was  a  leader  in  other  pro- 
gressive innovations  and  devoted  his  evenings  and  all  his  spare  time  to  the 
schools  and  the  library.  The  value  of  his  opinion  was  recognized  by  all  the 
school  officials  and  educators  in  Yonkers  and  his  advice  was  sought  not  only 
by  those  who  had  the  destinies  of  the  public  schools  in  charge,  but  by  those  at 
the  head  of  the  monastery  of  the  Sacred  Heart  Catholic  church.  He  identi- 
fied himself  with  the  militia  and  with  other  important  local  organizations  and 
was  in  a  general  way  interested  in  and  helpful  to  every  movement  tending  ta 
the  public  benefit. 

He  married  Fannie  Judge,  who  is  still  living,  aged  about  seventy,  and 
who  bore  him  ten  children,  of  whom  only  three  are  living:  James  E.  is  a 
well  known  engineer;  Daniel  Webster  is  mentioned  below;  Fannie  B.  mar- 
ried Joseph  Sweytzer;  Martha  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen;  and  William  died 
when  twelve  years  old.  James  Judge,  Mrs.  Caulfield's  father,  was  a  volun- 
teer, from  Lowell,  Massachusetts,  in  the  Union  service  and  was  killed  during 
the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  and  is  buried  at  Baltimore,  Maryland.  George  and 
Alfred  Caulfield,  sons  of  John  Caulfield,  a  brother  of  Thomas  B.  Caulfield, 
also  enlisted  at  Lowell  and  both  lost  their  lives  in  battle.  Ora  Caulfield,  a 
brass  manufacturer,  formerly  of  Bangor,  Maine,  now  of  San  Diego,  Califor- 
nia, also  served  the  Union  cause  as  a  soldier. 


872  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Daniel  Webster  Caulfield,  son  of  Thomas  B.  Caulfield,  learned  the 
machinist  trade  with  D.  Sanders'  Sons,  Yonkers,  and  was  in  the  employ  of 
that  concern  from  1674  to  1888.  As  a  builder  and  repairer  of  engines  he 
familiarized  himself  thoroughly  with  the  engineer's  trade  also.  He  became 
temporary  engineer  at  the  high-service  pumping  station,  under  his  father, 
and  in  1897  was  appointed  night  engineer  and  held  the  position  until  his 
father's  death,  when  he  was  appointed  day  engineer,  in  recognition  of  faith- 
ful and  efficient  service  and  because  he  was  the  logical  man  for  the  place, 
and  has  entire  charge  of  the  station,  practically  filling  his  father's  place. 

Between  1888  and  his  connection  with  the  high-service  pumping  station 
he  was  for  a  time  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  Hotchkiss  guns  by  the 
Pratt  &  Whitney  Machine  Company,  of  Hartford,  Connecticut,  and  later  he 
was  employed  by  the  Crump  shipbuilding  concern  at  Philadelphia,  to  instruct 
its  workmen  as  to  the  processes  of  manufacture  for  another  gun  which  that 
company  had  purchased.  This  employment  was  congenial  to  him  and  was 
a  high  recognition  of  his  ability  as  a  machinist.  He  is  a  Democrat,  but  has 
always  been  too  much  devoted  to  machinery  to  give  much  attention  to  poli- 
tics. He  served  seven  years  as  a  member  of  Irving  Hose  Company  and  has 
in  many  ways  shown  an  interest  in  town  affairs. 

February  24,  1897,  he  married  Julia  Lander,  a  daughter  of  James 
Lander,  the  well  known  landscape  gardener  of  Yonkers,  and  they  have  a 
young  daughter,  named  Gertrude. 


EDWARD  WELLS. 


In  the  last  half  of  the  present  century  the  lawyer  has  been  a  pre-eminent 
factor  in  all  affairs  of  private  concern  and  national  importance.  The  man 
versed  in  the  laws  of  the  country,  as  distinguished  from  business  men  or  pro- 
fessional politicians,  has  been  a  recognized  power.  He  has  been  depended 
upon  to  conserve  the  best  and  permanent  interests  of  the  whole  people,  and 
without  him  and  the  approval  of  his  practical  judgment  the  efforts  of  the 
statesman  and  the  industry  of  the  business  man  and  mechanic  would  have 
proved  futile.  The  reason  is  not  far  to  seek.  The  professional  lawyer  is 
never  the  creature  of  circumstance.  The  professsion  is  open  to  talent,  and 
eminence  or  success  cannot  be  obtained  except  by  indomitable  energy,  per- 
severance, patience  and  strong  mentality.  Possessing  those  qualities  in  a 
high  degree  Edward  Wells  for  many  years  maintained  a  leading  position  at 
the  bar  of  Westchester  county  and  handled  much  of  the  important  litigation 
heard  in  its  courts,  winning  a  most  desirable  reputation  as  a  representative 
of  the  legal  profession. 

A  native  of  New  York,  he  was  born  in  Durham,  Greene  county,  Decern- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  873 

ber  2,  1818,  and  was  the  fourth  son  of  Noah  and  Dimtnis  (Kilbourne)  Wells, 
both  natives  of  Colchester,  Connecticut.  The  family  traces  its  lineage  to  a 
Puritan  ancestor,  the  first  of  the  name  in  this  country  being  Hugh  Wells, 
who  was  born  in  Colchester,  England,  in  1590,  and  became  a  resident  of 
Colchester,  Connecticut,  in  1635.  In  England  the  ancestral  line  can  be 
traced  to  Bishop  Hugo  de  Welles,  who  drafted  the  Magna  Carta. 

Edward  Wells,  of  this  review,  began  attending  the  public  school  near  his 
home  when  only  four  years  of  age  and  even  then  showed  considerable  apti- 
tude for  learning.  In  1824  he  removed  with  his  farpily  to  Liberty,  Sullivan 
county.  New  York.  Most  of  the  county  was  then  covered  with  heavy  for- 
ests, abounding  in  game,  and  the  early  settlers  were  chiefly  Connecticut  peo- 
ple— sturdy  and  industrious  pioneers.  This  environment  doubtless  contrib- 
uted to  the  elements  of  frugality,  self-denial,  endurance  and  simplicity  in 
living  which  characterized  Mr.  Wells'  subsequent  life.  Until  he  was  twelve 
years  of  age  the  common  school  continued  to  furnish  his  chief  means  of  edu- 
cation; he  learned  readily  at  school,  but  probably  derived  more  intellectual 
stimulus  from  the  fireside  instruction  of  his  father,  who  was  widely  read  in  the 
best  English  literature.  In  1829  his  father  died,  and  not  long  afterward  Mr. 
Wells  entered  the  academy  at  Fishkill-on-the-Hudson,  then  conducted  by  his 
brother  Albert,  under  whose  instruction  he  continued  until  1831.  In  that 
year  his  brother  was  elected  principal  of  the  Newburg  Academy,  one  of  the 
oldest  institutions  incorporated  under  the  regents  of  the  state  of  New  York, 
instituted  in  colonial  times,  and  endowed  by  Queen  Anne  with  a  grant  of 
valuable  lands  situated  near  the  college,  on  the  north.  There  Mr.  Wells 
prosecuted  his  classical  and  other  studies  in  preparation  for  college,  and  a 
few  months  after  entering  that  school  he  removed  with  his  mother  to  New- 
burg. In  1835  his  brother  was  offered  the  presidency  of  the  Mount  Pleasant 
Academy,  at  Sing  Sing,  New  York,  and  there  the  family  removed,  Edward 
continuing  his  preparation  for  a  collegiate  course.  Among  his  fellow  students 
were  some  who  gained  distinction  in  after  life,  including  John  T.  Hoffman, 
subsequently  twice  governor  of  the  Empire  state. 

In  1837  Mr.  Wells  was  able  to  enter  the  junior  class  of  Yale  College, 
and  was  graduated  in  that  celebrated  institution  in  1839  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts,  winning  some  of  the  honors  of  the  class.  Three  years 
later  he  also  received  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from  his  alma  mater. 
After  his  graduation  he  accepted  a  position  as  a  member  of  the  faculty  of 
Mount  Pleasant  Academy,  at  the  same  time  entering  upon  the  study  of  law 
in  the  office  of  General  Aaron  Ward,  member  of  congress,  and  Albert  Lock- 
wood,  afterward  county  judge.  During  this  time  the  cause  of  temperance 
was  actively  advocated,  and  Mr.  Wells,  being  deeply  interested  in  its  suc- 
cess, was  frequently  called  upon  to  address  public  meetings  in  different  parts 


874  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

of  the  country.  In  this  work  his  oratorical  ability  made  his  services  very 
effective,  and  through  this  means  he  was  enabled  to  extend  his  acquaintance 
throughout  the  state.  Alexander  Wells,  editor  of  the  Hudson  River  Chron- 
icle, having  been  elected  surrogate  of  Westchester  county  in  1841,  offered 
Mr.  Wells  a  position  as  his  assistant,  and  the  latter,  accepting,  took  up  his 
residence  in  White  Plains  in  that  year,  at  the  same  time  continuing  his  legal 
studies  under  the  direction  of  Minot  Mitchell,  who  was  then  regarded  as  the 
leader  of  the  Westchester  bar.  With  him  he  continued  his  reading  until 
October,  1842,  when  he  was  admitted  as  ap  attorney  in  the  supreme  court  of 
the  state,  and  in  November  of  the  same  year  as  solicitor  in  chancery.  In 
December,  1842,  Mr.  Wells  opened  his  law  office  in  Peekskill  and  entered 
upon  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  partnership  with  John  Curry,  who  in 
after  years  removed  to  California  and  became  a  judge  of  the  supreme  court 
of  that  state. 

In  1846  Mr.  Wells  was  licensed  as  a  counselor  in  the  supreme  court  of 
the  United  States.  He  was  twice  elected  district  attorney  of  Westchester 
county  on  the  Republican  ticket,  and  served  from  January,  185 1,  until  Jan- 
uary, 1857.  At  the  first  election  he  received  a  majority  of  three  hundred 
and  eleven,  a  very  complimentary  vote  in  this  county,  which  usually  gives  a 
Democratic  majority  of  eighteen  hundred.  At  the  time  of  his  second  candi- 
dacy he  defeated  Francis  Larkin,  of  Sing  Sing,  by  a  majority  of  eleven  hun- 
dred. He  was  urged  to  accept  the  nomination  for  a  third  time,  but  declined. 
His  administration  of  the  business  of  the  office  during  those  two  terms  is 
described  by  the  records  of  the  time  and  by  those  who  know  him  as  a  model 
of  industry,  integrity  and  zeal.  He  pursued  crime  with  a  relentless  vigor, 
but  never  sought  reputation  for  himself  at  the  expense  of  innocence  or 
helplessness. 

Mr.  Weils  was  married  October  21,  1856,  to  Hannah,  daughter  of  the 
Rev.  Charles  W.  Nassau,  D.  D. ,  of  Lawrenceville,  New  Jersey,  formerly 
president  of  Lafayette  College.  He  immediately  took  possession  of  his 
new  home  on  Main  street,  in  Peekskill,  where  he  resided  continuously  to  the 
time  of  his  death.  The  children  of  this  marriage  were  two  sons,  Edward 
and  Charles  Nassau,  both  lawyers,  and  a  daughter,  Anna  Hamill,  all  of  whom 
survived  him.  In  his  domestic  relations  Mr.  Wells  was  exceedingly  happy. 
His  wife  was  a  lady  of  high  character  and  cultivation,  and  of  much  force  of 
mind,  who  devoted  herself  to  the  interests  of  her  husband  and  children,  and 
to  making  their  home  a  place  of  physical   comfort   and   mental  inspiration. 

From  the  time  of  his  marriage  until  his  death  Mr.  Wells  continued  in 
the  active  and  successful  practice  of  his  profession,  widely  known  throughout 
the  state,  and  generally  regarded  as  a  leader  of  the  county  bar.  In  1887, 
with  his  son,  Edward,  and  his  friend,  Hiram  Barney,  he  formed  a  partner- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  875 

ship  for  the  practice  of  law  in  New  York  city,  under  the  firm  name  of  Bar- 
ney &  Wells,  a  relation  which  was  successfully  continued  in  connection  with 
his  Peekskill  business  until  about  the  time  of  his  death.  The  high  estima- 
tion in  which  his  ability  as  a  lawyer  was  uniformly  held  might  have  secured 
him  an  elevation  to  the  bench  of  the  supreme  court,  for  which  he  was  emi- 
nently fitted,  had  not  his  lot  been  cast  in  a  district  so  thoroughly  Democratic 
as  to  afford  no  such  opportunity  to  one  of  opposite  political  views.  [n  his^ 
knowledge  of  the  law  he  was  accurate  and  profound.  While  his  learning  was 
based  upon  an  exhaustive  knowledge  of  principles,  he  was  yet  able  to  store 
in  an  exceedingly  retentive  memory  leading  cases  and  precedents  which  he 
could  cite  in  argument  with  extraordinary  readiness  and  facility.  With  this 
wide  learning  he  combined  an  unusually  judicial  cast  of  mind,  while  his  con- 
vincing manner  and  eloquent  diction  made  him  no  less  successful  with  juries 
than  with  the  court.  To  these  qualities  he  added  an  untiring  industry  which 
held  no  case  mastered  until  he  had  searched  out  the  principles  involved  to 
the  very  bed  rock.  His  reputation  as  a  lawyer  brought  to  his  office  and  his 
instruction  a  constant  succession  of  law  students,  several  of  whom  have 
become  eminent. 

In  politics  Mr.  Wells  was  a  Republican  from  the  time  of  the  formation 
of  the  party,  and  was  a  consistent  and  constant  supporter  of  its  principles, 
but  never  a  solicitor  for  its  favors  or  an  applicant  for  office.  A  man  of  broad 
and  thorough  knowledge,  who  like  Bacon  "took  all  learning  for  his  field,"  he 
tilled  it  thoroughly.  He  read  and  spoke  eight  languages,  was  widely  known 
as  an  authority  on  Roman  law  and  was  one  of  the  best  Greek  scholars  in  the 
state.  As  an  authority  and  connoisseur  of  books,  Mr.  Wells  was  well  known 
and  during  his  life  collected  a  large  library  of  rare  and  valuable  works,  which 
was  his  delight  as  a  constant  source  of  pleasure  and  recreation.  His  library 
contained  little  fiction,  but  was  rich  in  elegant  editions  of  the  classics,  in 
English  literature,  and  on  works  on  the  Roman  and  international  law.  For 
many  years  he  was  president  of  the  board  of  education  of  school  district  No. 
8.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  the  vice-president  of  the  Peekskill 
Savings  Bank,  a  trustee  of  the  Temporary  Home  at  White  Plains  and  of  the 
Westchester  County  Bible  Society,  a  member  of  theAmerican  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  and  of  its  financial  committee,  and  judicial  adviser  and  counselor  of 
the  board.  For  many  years  he  was  an  elder  in  the  First  Presbyterian  church, 
and  for  forty  years  previous  to  his  death  had  been  a  ruling  elder,  trustee  of 
the  Presbytery  and  eight  or  ten  times  a  commissioner  to  the  general  assembly. 
In  1884  he  was  appointed  a  delegate  to  the  Presbyterian  Alliance,  which  met 
in  London,  but  was  unable  to  attend.       \ 

Mr.  Wells  was  a  man  of  calm  and  judicial  mind,  of  the   most  delicate 
honor  and  of  the  keenest  judgment.      He  reached  his  conclusions  by  temper- 


«76  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

ate  and  logical  reasoning,  but,  once  formed,  his  convictions  were  unshakable. 
Unselfish  and  easily  approachable,  in  all  matters  affecting  only  his  own  com- 
fort or  convenience  he  was  ready  to  yield  at  once;  but  in  matters  of  convic- 
tion he  showed  the  blood  of  his  Puritan  ancestors.  Of  a  calm  and  rather 
retiring  disposition,  he  was  not  easily  moved  to  anger,  but  when  roused  by 
injustice  or  wrong  could  be  scathing  in  his  denunciation.  Not  endowed  with 
great  physical  strength,  but  being  rather  wiry  and  enduring,  he  never  feared 
a  foe,  nor  did  he  ever  desert  a  friend. 

Mr.  Wells  died  October  8,  1896,  at  his  home  in  Peekskill,  after  a 
month's  illness,  his  wife  and  three  children  surviving  him.  One  who  long 
knew  and  admired  him  wrote:  "  If  we  define  righteousness  as  '  holiness  on 
fire  '  we  can  stand  by  his  bier  and  pray  fervently.  '  Let  me  die  the  death  of 
the  righteous,  and  let  my  last  end  be  like  his.'  Though  not  a  native  of 
Westchester  county,  so  large  a  part  of  his  long,  eminent  and  useful  life  was 
passed  in  this  locality  that  the  county  claimed  him  for  his  own.  Of  all  of 
the  prominent  families  of  this  region  he  was  a  friend  and  associate;  in  all  the 
progress  of  the  county,  socially  and  religiously,  he  was  a  prime  factor,  a 
zealous  and  wise  worker  for  all  the  interests  of  the  people;  and  in  educa- 
tional, beneficent  and  political  affairs,  he  was  an  unselfish  and  tireless  watch- 
man. Incorruptible,  steadfast,  strong  for  the  right  and  true,  his  life  was  a 
living  testimony  of  the  value  of  honesty,  fair-dealing  in  all  public  matters, 
and  to  the  baseness  of  treason  to  principle  for  the  sake  of  party  gain.  He 
was  a  man  whom  men  of  all  parties  revered  and  whom  corrupt  men  of  any 
party  feared,  like  the  disclosures  of  an  adverse  majority.  He  was  one  man 
who  sought  sincerely  to  have  God  in  his  sight." 

Charles  Nassau  Wells,  son  of  Edward  Wells,  was  born  December  22, 
1864,  and  is  one  of  the  leading  attorneys  of  Peekskill,  having  already  won 
for  himself  an  eminent  position  at  the  bar.  He  is  a  good  judge  of  law,  and, 
what  is  of  almost  equal  importance,  a  good  judge  of  men;  and  it  is  this 
quality,  together  with  his  ability  as  a  speaker,  that  has  given  him  marked 
success.  He  has  been  prominently  identified  with  the  interests  of  Peekskill 
since  1892,  at  which  time  he  began  practice  here.  Throughness  charac- 
terizes all  his  efforts,  and  he  conducts  all  business  with  a  strict  regard  to  a 
high  standard  of  professional  ethics. 


RUDOLF    EICKEMEYER,  Jr. 

In  1854  the  business  of  manufacturing  hat  machinery  was  established  in 
Yonkers  by  George  Osterheld,  a  brother  of  Henry  Osterheld,  who  was  sub- 
sequently a  member  of  the  firm  of  Osterheld  &  Eickemeyer.  In  1854  Rudolf 
Eickemeyer,  who  became  the  widely  known  inventor,   removed  to  Yonkers 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  877 

and  was  associated  with  Mr.  Osterheld.  About  1854  the  Otis  Elevator 
Works  were  established  in  Yonkers.  (More  extended  reference  to  this 
industry  is  made  on  another  page  of  this  volume.)  In  1855  George  B.  Skin- 
ner began  the  manufacture  of  sewing-machine  silk  in  Yonkers,  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Nepperhan,  in  a  stone  building  which  had  been  erected  a  year  or 
two  before  for  a  cotton  factory. 

Another  Yonkers  inventor,  Rudolf  Eickemeyer,  Sr.,  was  born  October 
18,  1 83 1,  in  the  village  of  Altenbamberg,  in  Rhenish  Bavaria,  his  father 
being  an  officer  of  the  forestry  department  of  the  kingdom  of  Bavaria.  His 
grandfather,  who,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  was  chief  of  the  forestry  depart- 
ment of  the  province,  had  been  in  early  life  a  colonel  of  engineers  in  the 
French  army,  and  his  great-grandfather  had  been  an  engineer  in  the  service 
of  the  archbishop  of  Mainz  and  professor  of  mathematics  in  the  University  of 
Mainz  during  its  existence.  His  family  came  originally  from  Duderstadt,  in 
Hanover,  and  his  great-grandfather  was  the  first  Eickemeyer  in  Mainz,  where 
he  resided  as  early  as  1753,  and  where  his  grand-uncle,  Rudolf,  was  born,  a 
well-known  hydraulic  and  mechanical  engineer,  whose  writings  show  him  to 
have  been  well  informed  in  all  branches  of  engineering  science,  and  possessed 
of  considerable  inventive  skill  in  suggestions  to  improve  fire-arms  and  vessels 
with  defensive  armor.  All  the  Eickemeyers  were  born  draughtsmen,  and  he 
began  to  make  pictures  long  before  he  could  write,  and  the  same  trait  was 
dominant  in  his  children,  and  in  theirs.  Mr.  Eickemeyer  had  a  love  for 
mechanical  pursuits  from  his  earliest  recollections,  and  as  a  boy  was  always 
busy  making  wagons  and  building  miniature  mills  on  a  small  stream  which 
was  near  his  home.  When  thirteen  years  of  age  he  was  sent  to  the  real 
school  at  Kaiserslautern,  and  later  on  to  Darmstadt.  All  mathematical  and 
scientific  studies  were  easy  to  him,  but  languages  and  grammatical  studies 
were  the  bane  of  his  existence;  and,  although  English  was  one  of  the  lan- 
guages taught,  when  he  landed  in  New  York,  on  the  22d  of  November,  1850, 
he  could  not  speak  a  dozen  English  words. 

In  1849  the  rebellion  came  to  a  head  in  Germany,  and  he,  with  a  num- 
ber of  schoolmates,  joined  the  rebel  army  under  August  Willich  (who  became 
a  brigadier-general  in  our  late  civil  war),  and  the  well-known  veteran  of  the 
Union  army,  Franz  Sigel.  After  the  close  of  the  rebellion,  life  in  Germany 
was  made  so  unpleasant  for  the  young  revolutionist  by  the  government  that 
he  determined  to  emigrate.  Mr.  Eickemeyer,  with  his  schoolmate,  fellow 
rebel  and  lifelong  friend,  George  Osterheld,  therefore  came  to  this  country. 
They  made  their  way  to  Buffalo,  New  York,  and,  not  finding  any  employ- 
ment in  the  shops,  started  on  foot  for  Dunkirk,  where  work  was  obtainable 
on  the  New  York  &  Erie  Railroad.  They  remained  there  until  spring, 
returning  then  to  Buffalo,  where  they  found  employment  in  the  steam  engine 


878  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

works,  which  was  then  one  of  the  largest  machine  shops  in  the  west.  There 
they  remained  until  the  fall  of  1853,  when  they  returned  to  New  York. 
During  the  winter  of  1853  and  the  summer  of  1854  Mr.  Eickemeyer  was 
■employed  as  draughtsman  in  an  office  in  New  York,  and  his  first  patented 
invention  was  the  result  of  this  employment.  He  had  a  great  deal  of  shad- 
ing to  do  in  drawing,  so  invented  an  instrument  enabling  him  to  draw  parallel 
lines  with  precision  and  ease.  This  was  patented,  and  later  on  he  started  a 
shop  and  manufactured  them.  Mr.  Eickemeyer  started  in  business  with  Mr. 
Osterheld  on  September  10,  1854,  with  the  expectation  of  doing  general 
machine  work  and  repairs  in  the  different  factories. 

Yonkers  was  the  leading  center  of  the  wool-hat  industry,  and  being  con- 
tinuously employed  in  these  factories  he  soon  found  opportunities  to  suggest 
improvements  in  the  machinery  employed.  His  first  attempt  was  to  fold  the 
edges  of  the  leather  bands  which  were  used  as  substitutes  for  the  ribbons  of 
the  so-called  "  Ledger"  hat  then  in  fashion.  The  demand  for  these  bands 
was  so  great  that  it  was  impossible  for  the  manufacturers  to  obtain  them  at 
any  price.  The  little  machine  he  invented  would  fold  and  emboss  fifty  of 
these  bands  while  a  boy  or  girl  could  fold  one.  It  was  a  great  success,  and, 
simple  as  it  was,  it  formed  the  foundation  of  the  leather-folding  machines 
now  in  use  to-day  in  every  hat  factory.  His  next  venture  was  a  sewing 
machine  to  sew  the  sweat-linings  into  hats.  This  was  patented  in  1859,  and 
sewed  the  sweats  with  an  overhand  stitch  substantially  the  same  as  is  now 
used  in  all  button-hole  machines.  He  manufactured  and  sold  some  hundreds 
of  these  machines,  which  remained  in  use  until  superseded  by  others  which 
he  introduced  in  1863.  In  the  meantime  he  had  been  experimenting  to  find 
3.  substitute  for  the  laborious  method  of  stretching  and  blocking  hats  then 
used.  This  problem  was  solved  when  he  invented  the  ribbon  and  recessed 
stretching  cone,  and  jointly  with  his  partner,  George  Osterheld,  built  the 
wool-hat  blocking  machine.  These  inventions  revolutionized  this  part  of 
the  manufacture  of  hats  all  over  the  world.  Later  on  he  substituted  an 
automatic  machine  for  those  in  general  use  in  this  country.  About  the  time 
when  blocking-machines  came  into  use,  pouncing-machines  also  made  their 
appearance,  and  he  introduced  a  number  of  improved  machines.  For  fur 
hats  of  a  certain  style  the  pouncing-machine  was  found  to  be  unsuited,  and 
it  was  necessary  to  find  a  substitute  to  prepare  the  hat  body,  which  is  a 
conical  form,  by  what  the  trade  called  shaving.  The  long  hair  which  is 
always  present  in  the  fur  has  to  be  removed,  but  not  cut  off,  as  the  term 
shaving  would  imply.  The  hair  is  drawn  out  of  the  body  with  a  sharp  knife 
held  at  a  certain  angle.  Mr.  Eickemeyer  was  obliged  to  learn  to  shave  a 
hat  by  hand,  and  after  he  had  mastered  the  trade  designed  a  machine  which 
surpassed  all  expectations.      Other  branches   of    hatting  also  received  his 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  879 

attention,  and  improvements  have  been  introduced,  some  to  a  greater,  some 
to  a  less,  extent.  During  all  these  years  his  partner,  George  Osterheld, 
attended  to  business  affairs,  and  he  was  left  free  to  devote  his  time  to 
inventing  and  improving  machinery,  and  while  he  made  hatting  the  main 
object  of  his  investigations,  he  tried  his  hand  in  other  lines. 

The  Clipper  Mower  and  Reaper  Company  had  an  establishment  in  this 
city,  which  gave  him  an  opportunity  to  test  another  device,  a  differential 
gear  to  produce  the  reciprocating  motion  of  the  cutter  bar.  The  first  machine 
built  in  1870  proved  the  correctness  of  the  device  and  some  hundreds  were 
built  during  the  next  few  years.  In  1876  the  Otis  Brothers  exhibited  it  at 
the  Centennial  Exposition  in  Philadelphia,  and  after  a  field  trial  the  machine 
proved  itself  the  lightest  draught  mower  of  its  class.  Thousands  of  machines 
of  this  type,  known  as  the  Champion,  have  since  been  manufactured  and  are 
used  all  over  the  world.  When  Mr.  Bell  astonished  the  world  with  his  tele- 
phone, and  Mr.  Edison  startled  it  with  the  phonograph,  he  began  some 
experiments  in  electricity,  not  at  first  with  a  view  toward  doing  anything  in 
this  line,  but  simply  as  a  recreation  and  to  understand  the  principles  upon 
which  these  instruments  acted,,  all  of  his  knowledge  of  electricty  dating  back 
to  the  time  when  he  attended  school,  and  was  more  ancient  history  than 
science.  To  come  up  to  the  present  he  had  to  begin  at  the  beginning  and 
make  sure  of  his  ground,  and  his  bent  to  improve  kept  him  busy.  He  finally 
invented  what  is  considered  the  most  practical  form  of  dynamo  machine 
made,  and  has  proven  its  excellency  in  its  use  as  a  generator  and  as  a  motor, 
and  in  the  latter  capacity,  among  other  things,  it  has  proved  a  great  success 
in  running  elevators,  Messrs.  Otis  Brothers  having  adopted  it  for  use  with 
their  hoisting  machinery  in  preference  to  other  motors  in  the  market.  The 
introduction  of  his  machinery  had  the  usual  effect.  Infringers  appropriated 
it  and  he  had  to  apply  to  the  courts  for  redress.  He  found  that  a  record  of 
the  time  when  his  inventions  and  experiments  were  made  would  be  valuable, 
and  in  July,  1866,  he  began  to  keep  a  written  record  of  his  work,  which 
record  now  fills  about  twelve  volumes  of  about  four  hundred  pages  each. 

He  was  one  of  the  commissioners  of  the  water  board  since  the  works  were 
started,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  serving  his  fifth  term  of  five  years, 
and  his  tenth  year  as  president  of  the  board,  having  been  re-appointed  every 
time  unanimously  by  a  Democratic  board  of  aldermen  although  he  was  a 
Republican.  Nearly  twenty-two  years  ago  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
board  of  education  of  one  of  the  school  districts  and  was  a  member  of  that 
board  and  of  the  board  of  education  of  the  consolidated  schools,  with  the 
exception  of  two  years,  until  his  death.  From  1858  to  1865  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  volunteer  fire  department,  and  from  i860  to  1867  a  member  of 
the. national  guard;  and  during  Lee's  invasion  of  Pennsylvania,  in  1863,  he 


880  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

served  some  thirty  days  in  Fort  McHenry.  He  was  a  director  of  the  First 
National  Banii  of  this  city  from  1878  to  1895.  In  matters  affecting  the 
improvement  of  the  city,  Mr.  Eickemeyer  gave  an  ardent  and  intelligent  sup- 
port, and  his  private  charities  were  many,  his  generous  nature  finding  its 
greatest  pleasure  in  helping  his  fellow  men.  He  died  at  Washington,  D.  C, 
after  a  brief  illness,  on  January  23,  1895. 

Mr.  Eickemeyer  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  T.  Tarbell,  of  Dover,  Maine, 
on  July  21,  1856. 

WILLIAM  G.   SHRIVE. 

No  business  has  come  more  rapidly  to  the  front  in  the  past  decade  than 
that  of  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  bicycles.  Throughout  the  civilized 
world  the  "  wheel  "  is  found,  and  even  in  far-off  India  and  Japan  it  is  replac- 
ing the  methods  of  travel  which  have  been  in  vogue  for  centuries.  Its  almost 
universal  adoption  places  it  among  the  foremost  inventions  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  and  as  it  contributes  to  both  health  and  pleasure  it  will  probably 
remain  the  favorite  vehicle  for  the  young  and  vigorous  for  many  years  to 
come.  The  sale  of  the  bicycle  has  reached  astounding  proportions,  and  every 
small  hamlet  boasts  of  at  least  a  repair  and  supply  shop.  One  of  the  most 
thoroughly  equipped  establishments  in  this  line  of  business,  in  the  Empire 
state  outside  of  New  York  city,  is  that  conducted  by  William  Glenn  Shrive, 
of  Yonkers,  who  deals  in  all  kinds  of  bicycles  and  sporting  goods.  He  is  one 
of  the  representative  business  men  of  the  place,  occupying  a  most  enviable 
position  in  commercial  circles,  and  his  reliability  and  enterprise  have  secured 
to  him  a  large  and  constantly  increasing  trade. 

Mr.  Shrive  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Equinunk,  Wayne  county,  September  20,  1862.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Glenn  Shrive,  was  born  at  Kitring,  Northamptonshire,  England,  a  son  of 
Luke  Shrive,  who  was  in  the  postal  service  in  the  government  employ.  He 
had  four  children, — Glenn,  George,  Ethel  and  Anna.  Glenn  Shrive  was  a 
dry-goods  merchant  and  a  local  preacher  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
He  married  Phoebe  Odell,  who  died  in  early  womanhood,  while  his  death 
occurred  when  he  was  in  his  fifty-eighth  year.  The  children  were:  Alfred, 
Phoebe  and  Anna,  who  died  in  childhood;  and  Eliza,  who  married  Benjamin 
Cheney  and  for  thirty  years  has  been  engaged  in  missionary  labors  in  Peter- 
meritzburg.  South  Africa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cheney  have  two  living  children: 
John  G.,  who  is  engaged  in  prospecting  in  the  gold  and  diamond  fields  of 
South  Africa;  and  a  son  who  is  the  editor  and  publisher  of  the  Port  Natal 
Daily  Witness,  a  sixteen-page  paper. 

On  the  maternal  side  the  ancestry  of  our  subject  can  be  traced  back  to 
John  Warren,  who  served  his  country  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  and  was 


William  G.  Shrive. 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  881 

a  minister  of  the  gospel  at  Mount  Carmel,  Putnam  county,  New  York.  His 
son,  Rev.  John  Warren,  Jr.,  was  the  grandfather  of  W.  G.  Shrive.  For 
twenty-one  years  he  was  the  pastor  of  a  Baptist  church  in  Putnam  county, 
and  besides  he  was  something  of  an  agriculturist.  He  married  Dezire  Grant, 
a  second  cousin  of  General  Grant,  and  two  of  their  sons,  Levi  and  Hiram 
Warren,  were  surgeons  in  the  great  general's  army  during  the  civil  war. 
The  former,  Dr.  Levi  Warren,  as  he  was  subsequently  known,  won  distinc- 
tion in  the  medical  profession,  and  Hiram,  who  was  a  graduate  of  Colgate 
University,  of  New  York,  became  a  successful  teacher,  preacher  and  physi- 
cian. The  other  members  of  the  family  were  John,  who  was  pastor  of  a 
church  at  Easton,  Connecticut,  for  many  years;  David,  Euphemia,  Olive, 
Ann  and  Elizabeth.  The  father  of  these  children  departed  this  life  at  Dan- 
bury,  Connecticut,  where  he  had  attained  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-two, 
while  the  mother  died  when  in  her  seventy-third  year. 

Rev.  John  George  Shrive,  father  of  oursubject,  was  born  at  Kitring,  Eng- 
land, November  5,  1830,  and  in  1854  came  to  the  United  States,  locating  in 
Ulster  county,  New  York.  He  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  land  and  in  a  biblical  institute  at  Concord,  New  Hampshire,  now  con- 
nected'with  the  Boston  University.  He  was  graduated  in  i860,  but  even  as  a 
student  preached  in  the  vicinity  of  the  college  to  some  extent,  and  later  occu- 
pied pulpits  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  For  a  score  of  years  he  was  connected 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  denomination,  serving  congregations  at  Con- 
cord, New  Hampshire;  Kquinunk,  Pennsylvania;  South  Yonkers  and  Dover 
Plains,  New  York;  Fairfield,  Connecticut;  and  Croton  Lake,  Carthage  Land- 
ing, Crawford  and  Newburg,  New  York.  While  at  the  last  named  place,  on 
account  of  changing  views  on  religious  doctrines,  he  joined  the  Baptist  church, 
and  for  a  number  of  years  labored  faithfully  at  Elizabeth,  New  Jersey;  Nyack 
and  Lake  Mahopac,  New  York,  and  at  the  Warburton  Avenue  church,  of 
Yonkers,  New  York,  where  he  was  the  assistant  pastor.  Subsequently  he  did 
missionary  work  in  New  York  city.  Then,  owing  to  failing  health,  he  aban- 
doned the  active  work  of  the  ministry,  but  his  interest  has  never  flagged,  and 
since  he  gave  up  regular  pastoral  work  he  has  been  instrumental  in  building 
two  churches,  one  at  Ridgefield  Park  and  the  other  at  Ridgewood.  Both  of 
these  congregations  now  employ  regular  ministers  and  are  strong  and  flour- 
ishing churches.  Occasionally  he  supplies  a  pulpit  for  some  of  his  ministe- 
rial friends,  and  now,  in  the  evening  of  life,  he  may  look  back  along  the  way 
he  has  traveled  and  feel  certain  that  "  well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant  " 
will  be  his  welcome  plaudit  from  that  Master  whom  he  has  so  conscientiously 
served. 

The  marriage  of  this  worthy  man  took  place  April  2,  1858,  the  lady  of 
his  choice  being  Miss   Maria  Ann  Warren,    a    daughter  of    the   Rev.  John 

66 


882  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Warren.  They  became  the  parents  of  three  children:  William  G.,  Maggie 
Burke,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years;  and  George  G.,  who  is  super- 
intendent of  Bradstreet's  Commercial  Agency  at  Newark,  New  Jersey,  and 
resides  at  Rutherford,  that  state.  The  parents  are  both  living  and  are  much 
beloved  by  every  one. 

William  G.  Shrive  was  educated  in  Siglar  Institute,  of  Newburg,  New 
York,  and  in  Pingree's  School  at  Elizabeth,  New  Jersey,  being  graduated  in 
the  last  named  in  1878.  He  then  came  to  Yonkers  with  his  father  and  in 
1880  became  connected  with  the  printing  business  of  this  city.  Two  years 
later  he  founded  the  Yonkers  Free  Press,  a  four-page,  seven-column  journal, 
which  he  conducted  for  two  years  and  then  sold.  During  the  three  succeed- 
ing years  he  was  the  steward  of  the  Merchants'  Dining  Rooms,  in  New  York 
city,  and  later  he  spent  seven  years  in  the  employ  of  the  Bank  of  the  State 
of  New  York.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  began  dealing  in  bicycles 
and  has  since  added  sporting  goods,  until  his  present  complete  stock  is  valued 
at  upward  of  fourteen  thousand  dollars.  His  place  of  business  is  at  No.  21 
North  Broadway,  where  the  two  basements  are  utilized  as  a  repair  shop, 
and  he  also  is  the  proprietor  of  Shrive's  Riding  Academy,  at  Nos.  25,  27 
and  29  North  Broadway.  In  the  various  departments  of  his  extensive  busi- 
ness a  dozen  persons  are  employed.  He  is  the  local  agent  for  the  leading 
high-grade  wheels  in  the  market,  and  all  varieties  of  sporting  and  athletic 
goods,  cameras,  and  other  accessories  of  the  modern  tourist  and  pleasure- 
seeker.  He  has  an  excellent  knowledge  of  photography  and  makes  a  business 
of  developing  pictures  for  amateur  photographers.  Everything  which  he 
undertakes  is  well  done,  and  success  has  come  to  him  as  the  result  of 
genuine  merit  and  enterprise. 

For  some  six  years  Mr.  Shrive  was  a  member  of  the  Twenty-second 
Regiment  of  State  Militia,  served  in  the  Brooklyn  and  Buffalo  riots  and  now 
belongs  to  the  Twenty-second  Regiment  Veteran  Association.  He  also 
served  in  the  fire  department  as  a  member  of  the  Lady  Washington  Hose 
Company,  and  now  is  a  member  of  the  Exempt  Firemen's  Association. 
Moreover,  he  is  identified  with  Palisade  Lodge,  No.  571,  I.  O.  O.  F. ;  Pali- 
sade Boat  Club;  the  Yonkers  Bicycle  Club  and  the  Baptist  church. 

The  home  relations  of  Mr.  Shrive  are  very  pleasant.  He  was  married 
October  18,  1892,  to  Miss  Nettie  Vail  Worth,  who  was  born  at  Carmel, 
New  York,  July  6,  1871,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Lucretia  (Vail)  Worth, 
the  father  an  extensive  builder  and  contractor.  Mrs.  Shrive  is  a  descendant 
of  Stephen  Hopkins,  one  of  the. signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shrive  have  one  charming  little  daughter,  Lillian  Worth  by 
name.  They  have  many  sincere  friends  and  are  welcomed  in  the  best  social 
circles  of  Yonkers  and  elsewhere. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  883 


JOHN  F.   MILLS. 

The  well-known  and  popular  superintendent  and  vice-president  of  Abend- 
roth  Brothers'  Eagle  Iron  Works,  John  F.  Mills,  of  Port  Chester,  New 
York,  was  born  on  the  9th  of  October,  1843,  in  Jersey  City,  New  Jersey, 
and  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the  old  and  highly  esteemed  families  of  that 
state.  The  progenitor  of  the  family  in  America  was  a  native  of  England, 
and  on  crossing  the  Atlantic  he  located  near  Jamaica,  Long  Island,  New 
York.  The  great  grandfather  of  our  subject,  however,  was  born  in  New 
Jersey,  where  he  spent  his  entire  life.  The  grandfather,  John  Mills,  was 
also  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  and  there  engaged  in  farming  until  life's  labors 
were  ended.  He  aided  his  country  as  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812,  and  the 
old  gun  which  he  used  in  the  service  is  now  in  possession  of  our  subject. 
The  father,  Benjamin  Mills,  was  a  native  of  Westfield,  New  Jersey,  and  for 
many  years  he  extensively  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  oakum  in  that 
state,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-three.  He  was  a  very  successful 
business  man  and  the  prosperity  which  crowned  his  efforts  was  due  entirely 
to  his  own  enterprise,  industry  and  perseverance,  and  he  started  out  in  life 
for  himself  empty-handed.  For  some  time  he  was  connected  with  the  Prov- 
idence Institution  Savings  Bank.  Politically,  he  was  first  a  Whig  and  later 
a  Republican.  He  married  Miss  Lizzie  Walker,  who  was  born  October  11, 
1799.  ^t  the  corner  of  Thirtieth  street  and  Tenth  avenue.  New  York  city,  of 
German  parentage,  and  was  left  an  orphan  when  quite  young.  She  was 
a  consistent  Christian  woman,  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  was 
an  invalid  for  several  years,  death  coming  to  her  relief  in  1859.  She  was 
the  mother  of  seven  children,  four  of  whom  are  still  living,  namely:  Sarah 
Ann,  wife  of  Frederick  Bonghamper;  Louisa,  wife  of  Henry  Trumper; 
Augustus  R.,  a  resident  of  Jersey  City,  where  he  is  serving  as  clerk;  and 
John  F.,  the  subject  of  this  review.  Those  deceased  are  Washington,  Morti- 
mer and  Sister  Jane.  On  his  grandmother  Mills'  (Anna  Denman)  side  Mr. 
Mills  is  a  descendant  of  Christopher  Denman,  of  Cranford,  New  Jersey, 
who  served  as  a  private  in  Captain  Benjamin  Laing's  Company,  First  Regi- 
ment Essex  County  (New  Jersey)  militia,  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 
From  this  branch  he  became  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution. 

The  boyhood  and  youth  of  John  F.  Mills  were  passed  at  home,  and  his 
education  was  received  in  the  schools  of  Jersey  City,  New  Jersey,  and  And- 
over,  Massachusetts.  In  1862,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  he  came  to  Port 
Chester,  New  York,  and  as  office  boy  entered  the  employ  of  the  firm  of  which 
he  is  now  vice-president  and  superintendent.  Having  inherited  his  father's 
business  ability  he  gradually  worked  his  way  upward  until  he  reached  his 
present   responsible  position.      In    1876  he  was   made  superintendent  and 


884  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

treasurer  of  the  iron  works,  serving  as  such  until  appointed  vice-president  on 
the  9th  of  March,  1898.  The  thoroughness  and  persistency  with  which  he 
applied  himself  while  mastering  the  business  has  characterized  his  entire 
career,  and  has  been  supplemented  by  careful  attention  to  detail  and  by  hon- 
orable, straightforward  effort,  that  has  gained  him  a  most  excellent  and  envi- 
able reputation.  For  about  four  years  he  served  as  cashier  of  the  Savings 
Bank  of  Port  Chester,  and  is  now  first  vice-president  of  that  bank.  He 
has  been  a  director  of  the  First  National  Bank  for  several  years,  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Port  Chester  Water  Company,  and  was  one  of  the  original  stock- 
holders of  the  Port  Chester  Athletic  Association;  but  the  greater  part  of  his 
time  and  attention  has  been  devoted  to  the  business  of  the  Abendroth  Broth- 
ers' Eagle  Iron  Works,  which  is  one  of  the  largest  institutions  of  the  kind  in 
the  state,  employing  several  hundred  workmen  in  manufacturing  stoves, 
grates,  steam  heaters,  etc. 

Mr.  Mills  married  Miss  Maria  F. ,  daughter  of  William  P.  Abendroth, 
who  was  the  founder  and  president  of  the  works,  and  whose  sketch  appears 
on  another  page  of  this  volume.  Four  children  have  been  born  to  them: 
William,  who  is  now  serving  as  secretary  of  the  corporation;  John  F.,  Jr., 
who  also  is  connected  with  the  business;  Benjamin,  who  is  connected  with 
the  shipping  department;  and  Frank  M.,  who  is  attending  college. 

Politically,  Mr.  Mills  is  an  independent  Democrat,  has  served  as  president 
of  the  board  of  education  several  years  and  as  town  auditor  for  a  time.  He  is 
very  popular  in  Masonic  circles,  being  a  member  of  Mamaro  Lodge,  No.  653, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Port  Chester;  Mount  Vernon  Chapter,  No.  228,  R.  A.  M., 
and  Bethlehem  Commandery,  No.  53,  K.  T.  In  social  circles  he  and  his 
wife  occupy  an  enviable  position,  and  both  hold  membership  in  the  Episco- 
pal church,  in  which  Mr.  Mills  has  served  as  vestryman  for  thirty  years  and 
warden  for  five  or  six  years. 


WILLIAM  P.  ABENDROTH. 

The  life  history  of  this  gentleman  is  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  many  of 
the  great  men  who  have  made  and  established  American  commerce  and  Ameri- 
can progress  everywhere.  The  story  of  his  early  life  if  told  in  detail  would 
form  a  narrative  that  could  not  fail  to  interest  and  hold  the  attention  of  every 
youth  of  the  day  who  has  the  energy  to  succeed  and  the  sterling  integrity 
upon  which  to  build  a  great  business  and  establish  a  name  as  enduring  as  the 
eternal  rocks  that  line  the  shores  of  our  homes.  There  is  nothing  of  the 
romantic  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Abendroth,  but  there  is  that  firm  purpose,  that 
sterling  tenacity  to  succeed,  that  honest,  upright  perseverance  that  knows  no- 
such  word  as  fail.      He  belonged  to  that  gifted  race  whose  frugality  and  sin- 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.        '  885 

gleness  of  purpose  has  brought  them   foremost  in  the  scale  of  valor  and 
prowess  in  the  world. 

Mr.  Abendroth  was  born  in  Germany,  December  i8,  1818,  and  in  1832 
came  to  New  York  with  his  parents;  but  after  a  short  stay  in  the  metropolis 
he  went  to  Albany,  where  he  began  an  apprenticeship  in  the  foundry  of  Dr. 
Eliphalet  Nott,  remaining  there  two  years,  during  which  time  he  attended 
night  school.  When  Dr.  Nott  went  to  New  York  city  in  1834  and  started  the 
Novelty  Iron  Works,  Mr.  Abendroth  accompanied  him,  completing  his  appren- 
ticeship in  1836.  He  then  worked  as  a  journeyman  in  the  foundry  of  Bart- 
lett  Bent  in  Jersey  City  until  1839,  when  he  declined  the  position  of  foreman 
of  that  establishment,  and  with  the  hopes  of  securing  something  better  he 
went  to  New  Orleans.  After  a  short  period  of  recreation  and  labor  in  the 
Crescent  City  he  went  up  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  rivers  to  Cincinnati  and 
later  to  St.  Louis,  working  for  a  while  in  both  cities.  At  the  end  of  a  year, 
however,  he  returned  to  the  east,  and  for  three  months  was  employed  in  the 
foundry  of  George  E.  Waring,  in  Stamford,  Connecticut.  He  then  came  to 
Port  Chester,  New  York,  and  formed  a  partnership  with  Philip  Rollhaus,  lay- 
ing the  foundation  of  the  great  firm  and  mammoth  foundry  now  known  as 
Abendroth  Brothers'  Eagle  Iron  works,  established  in  1840.  Business  was 
begun  on  a  small  scale,  and  for  a  few  years  the  efforts  of  the  ambitious 
founders  were  somewhat  circumscribed;  but  when  the  confidence  of  the  com- 
mercial world  was  secured  the  path  to  prosperity  was  an  easy  one.  Among 
the  first  to  notice  and  appreciate  the  material  advancement  of  the  self-reliant 
young  apprentice  of  a  few  years  previous  was  Mr.  Bent,  who  offered  financial 
aid  to  the  young  founders.  In  1845  Mr.  Rollhaus  retired  from  the  firm  and 
Augustus  and  John  Abendroth,  brothers  of  our  subject,  were  admitted.  The 
former  died  in  1881,  and  shortly  afterward  John  D.  Eraser,  our  subject's  son- 
in-law,  became  interested  in  the  business.  John  Abendroth  retired  in  1874. 
In  1876  the  firm  was  changed  to  a  stock  company,  Mr.  Abendroth  being 
elected  president  and  remaining  such  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  While  he 
had  much  to  attend  to  in  the  management  of  the  great  plant,  he  yet  found 
ample  time  to  devote  to  the  welfare  of  the  community.  He  assisted  in  organ- 
izing the  First  National  Bank  in  1863,  and  served  as  one  of  its  directors  until 
called  from  this  life.  In  1865  he  was  instrumental  in  securing  the  charter 
for  the  organization  of  the  Port  Chester  Savings  Bank,  and  with  other  leading 
men  laid  the  foundation  of  one  of  the  most  sohd  and  substantial  institutions 
in  the  country,  a  worthy  monument  to  the  sturdy,  enterprising  official  who 
served  as  its  first  president,  and  laid  down  his  stewardship  only  when  stern 
death  demanded  it.  He  was  also  instrumental  in  .organizing  the  Port  Chester 
Mutual  Loan  &  Building  Association  in  1852-3;  was  a  charter  member  of 
the  fire   company  which  became  known  as  Putnam  Engine,  now  Putnam 


886  .         WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Steamer,  and  he  served  as  its  foreman  in  1857,  1858  and  1859.  The  last  year 
he  was  presented  by  the  company  with  a  very  handsome  silver  trumpet, 
which  was  one  of  his  treasured  possessions.  He  was  a  charter  member  of 
the  Firemen's  Benevolent  Fund  Association,  and  remained  an  active  member 
until  his  death. 

As  president  of  the  village  of  Port  Chester,  Mr.  Abendroth's  administra- 
tion stands  out  boldly.  He  was  the  only  man  who  had  the  courage  to 
enforce  the  ordinances,  and  despite  the  most  persistent  and  obstinate  objec- 
tions on  the  part  of  some  timid  persons  he  enforced  the  excise  laws  as  he 
understood  them  and  forced  a  respect  of  the  Sabbath  by  hquor  dealers.  It  is 
safe  to  say  that  no  citizen  of  Port  Chester  was  held  in  higher  regard  or  had 
more  true  friends  than  Mr.  Abendroth.  When  he  was  about  to  sail  for  Europe 
he  was  given  a  dinner  in  courses  at  Hawthorne  Beach,  by  the  trustees  of  the 
Port  Chester  Savings  Bank,  June  16,  1 891,  and  on  Saturday,  September  27, 
1 89 1,  a  number  of  leading  citizens  and  the  employes  of  all  departments  of 
the  Abendroth  foundry  made  a  surprise  visit  to  Mr.  Abendroth  at  his  resi- 
dence on  the  Post  Road,  to  greet  and  congratulate  him  on  his  safe  return 
from  Europe  and  to  tender  felicitations  on  the  completion  of  the  fiftieth 
year  of  the  successful  management  of  the  firm  of  Abendroth  Brothers.  Sev- 
eral impressive  speeches  were  made,  showing  the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held 
by  the  entire  community.  He  died  January  29,  1898,  and  the  organizations 
with  which  he  was  connected  sent  to  his  wife  appropriate  resolutions  of 
respect. 

Mr.  Abendroth's  home  life  was  an  unusually  happy  one.  In  1843  he 
married  Miss  Anna  Maria  Eraser,  who  survives  her  husband.  To  them 
were  born  five  children,  who  are  still  living:  Mrs.  John  E.  Mills  and  Mrs. 
M.  R.  Hoagland,  both  of  Port  Chester;  Erank  A.  Abendroth,  of  Chicago;. 
John  W.  Abendroth,  of  New  York;  and   Mrs.  E.  G.  Dickson,  of  Jersey  City. 


WILLIAM  ERED  LAWRENCE. 

The  quiet,  persevering  business  man  who  does  not  mix  in  politics  is 
every  year  becoming  a  more  and  more  important  factor  in  our  national  prog- 
ress. That  there  is  something  to  be  done  besides  helping  elect  men  to  fat 
offices  is  a  fact  that  is  coming  home  to  the  American  people.  Politicians 
talk  about  prosperity;  but  it  is  the  quiet,  persevering  business  man  who  does 
not  mix  in  politics  that  creates  the  prosperity.  Such  a  man  was  William 
Ered  Lawrence,  of  Yonkers.  A  stanch  Republican  in  politics,  a  man  of 
much  personal  and  business  influence,  Mr.  Lawrence  was  repeatedly  urged 
to  become  a  candidate  for  important  public  offices;  but  he  steadfastly  refused 
such  honors  and  devoted"  his  time  and  energies  to  building  up  his  business 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  887 

interests,  employing  men  intelligently  and  helpfully  and  doing  the  unostenta- 
tious but  always  telling  work  of  the  every-day  business  man  for  the  good  of 
the  general  public.  In  this  way  he  was  an  exemplar  of  the  truism  that  "he 
best  helps  others  who  helps  himself." 

William  Frederick  Lawrence  was  the  oldest  child  of  William  H.  and 
Maria  Vanderveer  (Back)  Lawrence.  He  was  born  at  Yonkers  January  15, 
1841,  and  died  at  143  Buena  Vista  avenue,  that  city,  July  13,  1897.  After 
acquiring  an  education  and  passing  some  years  in  other  employment,  he 
entered  the  service  of  the  lumber  and  coal  firm  of  Read,  Speedling  &  Nairn 
as  bookkeeper.  Not  long  afterward,  upon  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Read  from 
the  enterprise,  he  was  able  to  purchase  that  gentleman's  interest  and  the 
business  was  continued  by  Speedling,  Nairn  &  Lawrence.  Mr.  Speedling 
died  in  1872,  and  the  business  passed  into  the  ownership  of  Mr.  Lawrence 
and  his  brother,  James  V.  Lawrence,  and  after  that  it  was  conducted  under 
the  firm  name  of  Lawrence  Brothers.  This  business  has  always  been  a 
leader  in  its  peculiar  field,  and  it  has  been  so  energetically  developed  that  it 
has  more  than  kept  pace  with  the  rapid  growth  of  the  city  of  Yonkers.  Mr. 
Lawrence  was  also  extensively  interested  in  real  estate  in  different  parts  of 
the  city,  and  through  his  operations  had  much  to  do  with  the  extension  of 
the  visible  limits  of  Yonkers.  He  was  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Citizens' 
National  Bank  of  Yonkers,  a  trustee  of  the  Yonkers  Fuel,  Light  &  Power 
Company  and  a  stockholder  and  trustee  in  the  corporation  owning  the  Yon- 
kers Weekly  and  Daily  Statesman. 

On  November  21,  1867,  Mr.  Lawrence  married  Miss  Mary  J.  Weddle,  of 
Rochester,  New  York.  Her  father,  William  Weddle,  came  to  this  country 
from  Hull,  England,  with  his  father,  Thomas  Saddler  Weddle,  and  his 
mother,  Mary  M.  (Maune)  Weddle.  Mrs.  Lawrence's  mother.  Electa  (Brown) 
Weddle,  traced  her  ancestry  back  to  Elder  John  Strong,  of  Dorchester, 
Massachusetts,  who  came  to  America  in  the  Mary  and  John,  and  to  Thomas 
Ford,  also  a  passenger  in  that  good  ship.  Richard  Strong,  father  of  Elder 
John  Strong,  was  born  in  Wales  in  1561  and  died  in  1613.  Elder  John 
Strong  married  Abigail  Ford,  daughter  of  Thomas  Ford.  '  Their  son,  Samuel 
Strong,  married  Esther  Clapp,  daughter  of  Deacon  Edward  Clapp,  of  Dor- 
chester, Massachusetts.  Their  son,  Ezra  Strong,  Sr.,  married  I.  Fowler, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Abigail  (Brown)  Fowler.  Their  son,  Ezra  Strong,  Jr. , 
married  Mary  King.  Their  son,  Kmg  Strong,  married  Hannah  Noble. 
Their  daughter,  Huldah  Strong,  married  Jonah  Brown,  and  Electa  Brown 
was  their  daughter.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Fred  Lawrence  had  four  chil- 
dren: William  H.,  Stanley  (who  died  October  16,  1880),  Mabel,  Maud  and 
Arthur.  Mrs.  William  F.  Lawrence's  mother.  Electa  (Brown)  Weddle,  was 
a  direct  descendant  of  Peter  Brown,  33d  signer  of  the  Mayflower  compact. 


888  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

She  was  also  descended  from  Hon.  Daniel  Clark,  John  Newberry,  Thomas 
Barber,  Christopher  Crow,  Benjamin  Burr,  Jonathan  Gillette  and  many  other 
New  England  emigrants  of  the  seventeenth  century.  His  family  are  con- 
nected with  St.  John's  Episcopal  church,  of  Yonkers,  of  which  he  was  a  lib- 
eral supporter  and  a  member  of  the  vestry.  His  enthusiasm  for  yachting  led 
to  his  identification  with  the  Corinthian  Yacht  Club.  He  was  the  owner, 
until  about  the  time  of  his  death,  of  the  one-hundred-foot  steam  yacht, 
"Nereid,"  which  was  used  during  the  late  war  with  Spain  by  the  government. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  uniformed  rank  of  Masons  and  was  connected  with 
other  important  organizations,  and  in  every  relation  with  his  fellow  citizens 
was  a  leader  in  useful  work,  justly  esteemed  for  his  high  character  and 
worthy  success. 

COMMODORE  A.    MONROE. 

One  of  the  most  popular  and  esteemed  citizens  of  Westchester  county  is 
Commodore  Augustin  Monroe,  whose  broad  culture,  genial  temperament  and 
uniform  courtesy  have  made  him  a  social  favorite  and  won  him  the  regard 
and  friendship  of  representatives  of  all  classes.  One  of  the  most  prominent 
factors  in  the  social  life  of  Westchester  county  and  New  York  city  is  the 
Larchmont  Yacht  Club,  of  which  Mr.  Monroe  was  one  of  the  organizers,  and 
since  its  formation  he  has  been  active  in  its  successful  management  and  is 
now  serving  as  a  member  of  its  board  of  trustees.  It  ranks  among  the  finest 
clubs  of  the  kind  in  the  United  States,  which  position  is  due  to  the  influence 
of  its  many  eminent  and  well  known  members,  prominent  among  whom  is 
the  subject  of  this  review. 

Mr.  Monroe  was  born  in  the  city  of  San  Francisco,  California,  in  1854, 
and  there  passed  the  first  nine  years  of  his  life.  He  then  accompanied  his 
mother,  Laura  (Renwick)  Monroe,  on  their  return  to  New  York.  Father 
John  A.  Monroe  died  in  San  Francisco  in  1862. 

Commodore  A.  Monroe  acquired  the  greater  part  of  his  education  in 
New  York  city,  but  also  attended  St.  Paul's  school,  at  Concord,  New  Hamp- 
shire, which  he  left  in  1869.  Returning  home  he  spent  five  years  in  the  city, 
graduated  at  the  Columbia  College  Law  School  in  1876,  and  in  1881  came  to 
Larchmont,  with  the  interests  of  which  village  he  has  since  been  identified. 
Larchmont  occupies  one  of  the  most  beautiful  sites  on  Long  Island  Sound, 
and,  recognizing  the  advantages  here  offered  for  such  an  organization,  Mr. 
Monroe,  in  conjunction  with  two  other  prominent  men,  was  instrumental  in 
forming  the  Larchmont  Yacht  Club,  which  soon  took  rank  among  the  finest 
clubs  of  the  kind  in  the  United  States.  Its  growth  was  rapid,  drawing  its 
membership  from  the  best  citizens  of  Westchester  county  and  New  York. 
There  are  now  six  hundred  names  on  the  membership  roll,  and  the  club  dis- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

plays  many  of  the  finest  yacht  and  sailing  craft  seen  on  the  sound.  From 
the  beginning  Mr.  Monroe  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees, 
and  under  his  able  management  the  club  has  become  one  of  the  most  pros- 
perous in  the  Empire  state.  He  was  third  commodore  of  Larchmont  Yacht 
Club,  serving  for  1884  and  1885.  The  club  house,  which  was  erected  at  a 
cost  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  thousand  dollars,  is  a  beautiful  and  magnifi- 
cent structure,  complete  in  all  its  appointments,  having  spacious  halls,  draw- 
ing rooms,  fine  libraries,  extensive  verandas,  balconies  and  dormitories.  It 
is  also  most  beautifully  located,  commanding  an  excellent  view  of  the  harbor 
and  Long  Island  sound,  and  is  a  most  delightful  retreat  during  the  hot  sum- 
mer months.  Mr.  Monroe  has  labored  untiringly  in  its  interests,  and  for  its 
success  he  deserves  great  credit.  He  possesses  a  fine  physique,  is  an  excellent 
conversationalist,  is  most  affable  and  genial  in  manner  and  is  a  great  favorite 
in  all  circles. 

JAMES  V.   LAWRENCE. 

James  V.  Lawrence  is  a  son  of  William  Henry  and  Maria  Vanderveer 
(Back)  Lawrence,  and  was  born  at  Yonkers,  New  York,  February  6,  1843. 
He  was  a  younger  brother  and  is  the  surviving  partner  of  the  business  of  the 
firm  of  Lawrence  Brothers,  composed  of  his  brother,  William  F.  Lawrence, 
deceased,  and  himself.  They  descended  from  patriot  stock  and  from  old  and 
honorable  English  families.  Samuel  Lawrence  was  born  in  East  Chester  in 
175 1  and  married  Abigail  Pell,  who  was  born  in  East  Chester,  New  York,  in 
the  same  year.  Her  father,  John  Pell  (1722-73),  was  the  son  of  the  honor- 
able Thomas  Pell,  third  lord  of  Pelham  manor,  Westchester  county  (1686 
-1739).  atid  Anna,  daughter  of  the  reigning  Indian  chief  of  Westchester 
county.  This  Thomas  was  a  son  of  Sir  John  Pell,  second  lord  of  Pelham 
manor,  and  Rachel  Pinckney,  daughter  of  Philip  Pinckney,  one  of  the  ten 
proprietors  of  East  Chester,  New  York.  Sir  John  Pell  (i  643-1 702)  was 
born  in  London  and  died  in  East  Chester.  He  was  a  server-in-ordinary  to 
King  Charles  II.  Through  a  long  line  of  illustrious  history  the  origin  of  the 
family  of  Pell  is  traced  to  William  Pell,  who  descended  from  Walter  de 
Pelham,  who  held  the  lordship  of  Pelham  in  Herefordshire,  21  Edward  I 
(A.  D.  1294). 

Samuel  Lawrence  was  the  son  of  Mary  Bishop  and  John  Lawrence. 
Mary  Bishop  was  the  daughter  of  Mary  and  Frederick  Deveaux,  son  of 
Abel  Deveaux,  one  of  the  French  Huguenots  who  came  to  New  Rochelle 
about  1700.  John  Lawrence  was  the  son  of  Jonathan,  son  of  Jonathan,  son 
of  Thomas  Lawrence,  one  of  the  three  brothers,  John,  William  and  Thomas, 
sons  of  John  Lawrence,  of  Great  St.  Albans,  Herefordshire,  England. 
Thomas  was  one  of  the  patentees  of  Newtown,  Long  Island,  in  1666,  and 


890  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

proprietor  of  Hell  Gate  Neck,  Long  Island,  and  major  in  Leisler's  forces  in 
1690,  and  died  at  Newtown  in  July,  1703.  Samuel  Lawrence  early  removed 
to  Yonkers,  where  he  became  a  tenant  of  Frederick  Phillipse.  His  farm  was 
located  on  both  sides  of  Broadway,  and  his  homestead,  which  is  now  stand- 
ing, was  on  Valentine's  lane,  near  the  Hudson.  He  was  first  lieutenant, 
then  a  captain,  in  the  Westchester  militia,  and  was  an  enthusiastic  patriot. 
He  acted  as  a  guide  for  Washington,  who  with  his  officers  many  times  held 
council  under  his  roof  and  who  evinced  great  friendship  for  him.  When 
Frederick  Phillipse  was  declared  a  traitor  and  his  land  confiscated,  Samuel 
Lawrence,  then  holding  a  commission  as  major,  bought  all  that  land  which 
he  had  theretofore  held  as  tenant.  Besides,  he  was  presented,  as  a  reward 
for  his  efficient  service  as  a  guide,  with  a  considerable  tract  of  land  south  of 
the  Phillipse  property.  He  died  at  Yonkers  November  26,  1834,  and  his 
wife,  Abigail  Pell,  died  February  12,  1828-,  and  they  were  buried  in  St. 
John's  cemetery  at  Yonkers.  They  had  six  children,  of  whom  Jonathan, 
grandfather  of  James  V.  Lawrence,  was  the  oldest.  Their  father  was  Hen- 
drick  Vanderveer,  son  of  Macchiel,  son  of  Cornells  Vanderveer  and  Tryntjr 
de  Mandeville,  daughter  of  Gillis  de  Mandeville  and  Elsie  Hendrickse  Koch, 
all  of  Flushing,  Long  Island.  Their  mother,  Maria  Voorhees,  was  the 
daughter  of  Adrianna  Lefferts  and  Jan  Van  Voorhees,  son  of  Maykr  Schenck 
and  Lucas  Van  Voorhees,  son  of  Steven,  son  of  Coert,  son  of  Albret. 
Maykr  Schenck  was  the  daughter  of  Annetje  Wyckoff  and  Roslof  Schenck^ 
son  of  Martin,  son  of  General  Peter  Schenck,  who  fought  in  the  war  between 
Holland  and  Spain.  General  Schenck  was  descended  through  a  noble  fam- 
ily from  Heinrich  Schenck,  1346,  Lord  of  Afferdeen,  Walbeck,  etc.,  Batavia. 
To  him  letters  of  administration  were  granted  upon  his  father's  estate  in 

1835- 

Jonathan  Lawrence  was  a  farmer  and  owned  a  large  tract  of  land  in  the 
southern  part  of  Yonkers.  His  homestead,  on  South  Broadway,  is  now 
known  as  the  Radford  house.  He  married  Sarah  Rheade,  daughter  of 
Robert  (1 749-1 8 10)  and  Mary  (1759-1835)  Rheade.  Robert  Rheade,  who  was 
a  son  of  Robert  and  Jane  Rheade,  was  a  stanch  patriot  who  had  a  large  farm 
on  Sawmill  River  road,  purchased  from  the  commissioners  of  confiscation. 
While  Colonel  Thompson  was  stationed  at  Four  Corners,  Rheade  learned 
that  the  English  were  making  a  stealthy  movement  to  attack  him.  He  rode 
his  best  horse  at  break-neck  speed  to  Four  Corners  and  arrived  just  in  time 
for  Colonel  Thompson  to  make  preparations  to  repulse  the  enemy,  but  his 
horse  fell  dead  as  he  drew  rein !  Major  Jonathan  and  Sarah  (Rheade)  Lawrence 
had  seven  children,  of  whom  William  Henry  Lawrence,  father  of  James  V. 
Lawrence  and  William  Fred  Lawrence,  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth. 

William   Henry   Lawrence   was  born  at  Yonkers,   February  28,  18 13. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  891 

His  home  was  at  Lawrence  street  and  South  Broadway,  on  part  of  the  land 
which  had  belonged  to  his  grandfather,  Major  Samuel  Lawrence.  He 
engaged  in  the  real-estate  and  insurance  business  and  served  as  coroner,  tax- 
collector  and  deputy  sheriff,  and  was  otherwise  prominent  in  municipal  and 
public  affairs.  He  was  successful  in  life  and  accumulated  a  good  property. 
He  and  his  family  were  members  of  St.  John's  Episcopal  church.  He  died 
January  13,  1879,  ^nd  his  body  lies  in  St.  John's  cemetery.  He  was  buried 
with  Masonic  rites.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat.  On  November  24.  1835, 
he  married  Maria  Vanderveer  Back,  of  Yonkers,  who  was  born  in  New  York 
city,  October  4,  1813,  and  who  traced  her  ancestry  back  to  the  early  emi- 
grants along  a  number  of  lines.  Her  father  was  Henry  Back,  of  Flushing, 
New  York,  and  his  father,  Simeon  Back,  was  of  the  early  Backs  of  Connecti- 
cut. This  Simeon  Back  married  Belinda  Vanderveer,  who  was  a  sister  of 
Abraham  Vanderveer,  one  of  the  early  residents  of  Kings  county. 

Mrs.  Maria  Vanderveer  (Back)  Lawrence  is  still  living.  She  bore  her 
husband  the  following  mentioned  children:  William  Frederick,  a  bio- 
graphical sketch  of  whom  appears  on  another  page;  James  Valentine,  referred 
to  more  at  length  further  on;  Mary  Frances  and  Francis  Henry,  both  of 
whom  died  in  infancy;  Arthur,  who  died  at  fourteen;  Isabella;  Harriet,  who 
married  Milo  Baker,  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Baker  Iron  Works  of  Los 
Angeles,  California;  Cecil  R. ,  who  married  Isabelle  Otis,  daughter  of  Colonel 
Otis,  U.  S.  A.;  Sidney,  who  is  in  the  west;  AmetteO.,  who  married  Miss 
Nellie  Car;  and  Eugene,  who  recently  died  in  Wyoming. 

James  Valentine  Lawrence  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Yonkers,  and  subsequently  studied  law  at  Columbia  College,  now  Columbia 
University,  District  of  Columbia,  and  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.,. 
in  1 87 1.  He  later  practiced  law  in  Washington  about  a  year.  At  eighteen 
years  of  age  he  enlisted,  in  April,  1861,  as  one  of  the  first  defenders  of  the 
Union,  in  Company  G,  Second  Regiment,  New  York  Light  Artillery,  after- 
ward changed  to  heavy  artillery  acting  as  infantry.  After  organizing  on 
Staten  Island,  he  and  his  comrades  were  sent  to  Washington,  where  they  did 
garrison  duty  for  some  time  at  Chain  Bridge,  Alexandria  and  Fredericksburg. 
They  were  detailed  to  join  Sherman  in  his  historic  march  to  the  sea,  but  the 
order  was  rescinded  before  its  execution  was  commenced.  Mr.  Lawrence 
enlisted  as  a  private,  but  was  promoted  successively  to  corporal,  sergeant, 
second  lieutenant,  first  heutenant  and  adjutant,  and  was  afterward  trans- 
ferred to  the  grand  staff  of  the  war  department  as  assistant  commissary  and 
rank  as  captain.  He  was  mustered  out  at  Alexandria,  in  September,  1865, 
by  special  order  of  the  war  department,  and  for  gallant  and  meritorious 
services  was  brevetted  major.  He  occupied  (1868-1872)  a  semi-official  and 
diplomatic  position  in  the  department  of  foreign  mails  in  the  general  post- 


892  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

office  department  at  Washington,  D.  C,  in  which  capacity  he  was  sent  by 
our  government  to  negotiate  postal  treaties  with  Great  Britain,  Brazil  and 
other  countries,  and  attended  various  treaty  conventions  in  different  parts  of 
the  world.  With  Anthony  Trollope,  of  London,  he  outlined  the  work  of  the 
convention  between  the  United  States  and  the  United  Kingdom,  held  at 
Washington  in  1868.  He  was  sent  to  the  West  Indies  to  examine  and  report 
upon  the  desirability  of  improving  mail  facilities  with  those  islands,  including 
the  Danish  West  Indies.  With  the  emperor  and  postmaster  general  of 
Brazil  he  arranged  a  postal  treaty  with  that  country,  which  was  ratified  in 
1874.  He  attended  various  postal  treaty  conventions  in  South  America  and 
established  the  mail  steamship  service  between  the  United  States  and  China. 
He  subsequently  resigned  from  the  postoffice  department  and  returned  to 
Yonkers  to  engage  in  his  present  business,  one  of  the  oldest  enterprises  in 
the  city. 

This  business  was  founded  in  1848  by  Henry  W.  Bashford,  who  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  firm  of  Read,  Speedling  &  Nair.  That  firm  was  succeeded  by 
Speedling,  Nair  &  Lawrence.  Speedling  &  Lawrence  succeeded  Speedling, 
Nair  &  Lawrence.  Mr.  Speedling  died  in  1872  and  the  business  was  contin- 
ued by  Lawrence  Brothers.  The  concern  deals  in  building  materials  and 
coal,  and  its  establishment  occupies  three  docks  covering  three  acres  of  yard 
space,  besides  a  block  on  Wells  avenue,  upon  which  the  main  ofBce  is  located. 
Mr.  Lawrence  employs  more  than  one  hundred  men  in  the  office  and  in  the 
yards;  and  his  business  which  aggregates  more  than  a  million  dollars  annually, 
is  the  largest  of  the  kind  in  the  county.  Mr.  Lawrence  is  interested  in  a  num- 
ber of  other  important  enterprises,  among  them  the  Palisade  Ferry  Company 
and  the  Hygeia  Ice  Company. 

Politically  he  is  an  enthusiastic  gold  Democrat.  He  has  served  in  var- 
ious political  capacities  and  stands  high  in  the  local  councils  of  his  party.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  board  of  supervisors  a  number  of  terms,  and,  until  he 
refused  to  serve  longer,  a  member  of  the  civil  service  board;  and  for  some 
years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  school  commissioners  of  the  city 
of  Yonkers.  He  was  a  candidate  for  mayor  of  Yonkers  in  1874,  on  the  minor- 
ity ticket,  but  was  defeated  by  but  a  few  votes,  and  in  1897  was  the  Dem- 
ocratic nominee  for  congress  from  the  sixteenth  district  on  the  gold  Demo- 
cratic platform.  He  was  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  City  Club, 
of  Yonkers;  he  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  commandery  of  the  Loyal 
Legion,  and  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  charter  members  of  John  C.  Fre- 
mont Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and  past  commander  of  Kitching  Post.  He  is  identi- 
fied also  with  Nepera  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  the  Yonkers  Teutonia  Club,  the 
Corinthian  Yacht  Club  and  the  Yonkers  Board  of  Trade. 

Mr.  Lawrence  was  married  May  7,  1864,  to  Charlotte  E.  Southworth,  a 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  898 

daughter  of  the  famous  novelist,  Mrs.  Emma  D.  E.  N.  Southworth,  of  George- 
town, D.  C.  They  have  had  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living:  Emma, 
Elizabeth  Young,  Valentine  Henriques,  James  V.,  Jr.,  Edith,  Nevette  and 
Mary. 

WILLIAM  BRANDRETH. 

William  Brandreth,  son  of  Dr.  Benjamin  Brandreth,  was  born  at  Sing 
Sing,  October  22,  1842.  His  early  education  was  obtained  at  Mount  Pleas- 
ant Academy,  and  when  sixteen  years  of  age  he.  went  to  New  York,  where  he 
gained  a  thorough  knowledge  of  his  business  as  a  pharmaceutist  and  druggist, 
and  subsequently  became  connected  with  the  wholesale  drug  trade,  in  the 
Spanish  firm  of  Palanca  &  Escalante.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  went  to 
South  America  and  traveled  extensively,  remaining  for  some  time  in  Venezuela, 
and  afterward  passed  a  year  in  the  British,  Dutch  and  Danish  West  Indies. 
Thence  he  went  to  California,  by  way  of  the  isthmus  of  Panama,  and  remained 
there  four  years.  During  a  portion  of  this  time  he  was  engaged  in  introduc- 
ing and  extending  the  sale  of  medicines,  but  afterward  established  a  life- 
insurance  agency,  in  which  he  founded  a  very  extensive  business  and  enjoyed 
a  high  degree  of  success.  In  1868  he  returned  to  Sing  Sing,  where  he 
became  interested  in  insurance  and  real-estate  transactions,  in  which  he  was 
very  successful,  and  two  years  later  established  the  firm  of  Rowland  & 
Brandreth,  which  for  years  carried  on  a  very  extensive  and  profitable  busi- 
ness. 

In  1876  he  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  firm  and  removed  to  New 
York,  where  he  opened  an  office  for  the  purpose  of  dealing  in  mines  and 
mineral  lands,  and  in  the  prosecution  of  this  business  he  had  ample  oppor- 
tunities of  becoming  acquainted  with  the  mineral  resources  of  various  portions 
of  the  county  which  he  improved  and  acquired  a  practical  knowledge  of  metal- 
lurgy. While  thus  engaged  he  became  acquainted  with  W.  W.  Chipman, 
who  had  discovered  a  method  of  manufacturing  iron  and  steel  from  the  ore  by 
the  direct  action  of  flame,  and  at  a  cost  which  is  less  than  half  of  the  ordinary 
methods  of  production.  Experiments  conducted  by  Dr.  Charles  J.  Emes, 
Ph.  D. ,  have  demonstrated  its  entire  practicability  and  give  promise  of  a 
new  era  in  American  manufacture.  The  companies  which  are  at  present 
engaged  in  the  enterprise  are  the  Graphite  Steel  and  Iron  Company  and  the 
Carbon  Iron  Company,  in  both  of  which  Mr.  Brandreth  has  extensive  invest- 
ments; and  he  is  also  largely  interested  in  mineral  lands  in  North  Carolina, 
containing  mines  of  iron,  copper  and   mica,   which  are  as  yet  undeveloped. 

As  a  citizen  there  are  few  who  have  taken  a  more  active  part  in  local 
improvements.  The  introduction  of  steam  fire-engines  and  reservoirs  in  the 
village   of   Sing  Sing  was  largely  owing  to  his  efforts,  and  it  is  generally 


S94  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY, 

admitted  that  in  the  business  of  insurance  his  knowledge  of  all  the  details  is 
unsurpassed,  and  his  reputation  as  a  thoroughgoing  man  of  business  and  a 
public-spirited  citizen  is  fully  sustained.  Active  and  energetic  in  his  nature, 
he  sometimes  allows  his  enthusiasm  to  get  the  better  of  his  judgment,  but 
no  advice  that  can  affect  the  interests  of  others  is  ever  given  by  him  unless 
based  upon  the  most  careful  and  dispassionate  examination,  and  a  knowledge 
of  this  fact  renders  his  opinion  worthy  of  the  respect  which  it  seldom  fails  to 
receive.  In  whatever  business  Mr.  Brandreth  has  engaged,  it  has  been  his 
constant  practice  to  leave  no  means  untried  to  gain  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
all  its  details,  and  in  this  pursuit  no  amount  of  toil  can  turn  him  from  his 
purpose,  and  no  labor,  however  arduous,  can  cause  discouragement.  He  is 
also  a  director  and  stockholder  in  the  Porous  Plaster  Company  of  the  village 
of  Sing  Sing,  which  company  is  the  successor  of  his  father,  manufacturing 
Brandreth's  Pills  and  AUcock's  Porous  Plasters.  Mr.  Brandreth  takes  great 
pride  in  being  the  pill-maker  of  the  family,  his  brothers  paying  more  atten- 
tion to  the  manufacturing  of  porous  plasters. 

Mr.  Brandreth  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  with  which 
he  has  been  connected  for  twenty-one  years,  and  in  addition  to  his  member- 
ship in  the  lodge  at  Sing  Sing  he  is  also  connected  with  the  St.  George's 
Society  of  New  York.  In  1868  he  married  Sarah  Louise,  daughter  of  the 
late  George  B.  Flint.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  —  Sarah 
Bertha,  Louise  and  Delia. 


DANIEL   D.   MANGAM. 


The  honorable  prominence  of  Daniel  D.  Mangam  in  the  village  of  Sing 
Sing  justifies  us  in  presenting  to  our  readers  the  fragmentary  points  of  his 
career  that  we  find  available. 

In  i860  he  purchased  a  residence  on  Highland  avenue.  Sing  Sing,  and 
since  that  time  he  has  been  prominently  connected  with  the  public  affairs  of 
the  town.  For  several  terms  he  was  trustee  and  treasurer  of  the  town  and 
chief  engineer  of  the  fire  department,  in  which  he  took  great  interest.  He 
has  also  been  long  connected  with  the  National  Bank  of  Sing  Sing,  as 
director,  and  is  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Savings  Bank.  His  ancestor,  Daniel 
Mangam,  who  came  to  this  country  from  Scotland,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war 
■of  the  Revolution,  and  present  at  the  battle  of  White  Plains.  He  left  a  fam- 
ily of  seven  children, — William,  Isaac,  John,  Stephen,  Daniel,  Sarah,  wife 
of  Robert  Tompkins,  and  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Pierre  Decevier. 

Of  these  children  William,  who  married  Elizabeth  Leggett,  died  about 
1865,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three,  leaving  eight  children:  Mary,  wife  of  A.  B. 
Royce;    Eliza,   wife  of  William    Lewis;    Esther,    wife  of  William    Colyer; 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  895 

Nancy,  wife  of  Lewis  McCord;  Rebecca,  wife  of  Andrew  L.  Purdy;  Gert- 
rude, wife  of  Levi  Wilson;  William  L.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two; 
and  Daniel  D.,  our  subject. 

The  last  named  was  born  at  Sing  Sing,  May  i,  1828.  In  his  early  youth 
he  was  a  student  at  Mount  Pleasant  Academy,  but  left  home  and  school  at 
the  age  of  fourteen  and  found  a  position  as  clerk  in  a  grocery  store.  He 
remained  there  for  three  years  and  then  entered  a  dry-goods  store,  but  two 
years  later  he  commenced  business  on  his  own  account,  by  opening  a  store 
at  Sing  Sing,  Shortly  afterward  he  sold  out  and  removed  to  New  York, 
where  he  had  an  interest  in  the  mills  of  William  D.  Mangam,  son  of  his 
uncle  Stephen,  who  was  the  founder  of  one  of  the  oldest  produce  and  grain 
commission  houses  now  doing  business  in  the  city.  William.  D.  Mangam 
died  in  1866,  and  Mr.  Mangam  succeeded  to  the  entire  business,  which  he 
has  carried  on  at  the  old  stand  till  the  present  time.  The  following  state- 
ment from  the  Commercial  world  shows  the  extent  of  the  busi.ness.  It  is 
proper  to  state  that  since  its  publication  Mr.  Mangam  has  become  the  lessee 
of  half  of  pier  No.  6,  North  river,  and  two  floating  elevators. 

The  city  business  of  the  house  is  transacted  at  92  Broad  street,  New 
York,  but  the  mills  and  warehouses  are  located  at  the  foot  of  Degraw  street, 
Brooklyn.  Here  there  are  spacious  premises  occupying  a  space  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  by  two  hundred  feet,  the  ground  floor  being  used  for  mill- 
ing purposes  and  offices,  the  floor  above  containing  bins,  many  of  them  forty 
feet  high.  From  twenty-five  to  thirty  hands  are  constantly  employed  in 
operating  the  steam  elevator — which  hoists  all  the  grain  and  corn  from  ves- 
sels in  the  river — and  the  four  '  run  '  of  mills,  the  latter  have  a  capacity  of 
about  fifty  bags  an  hour,  and  grind  on  an  average  some  six  hundred  bags 
per  day. 

As  a  dealer  Mr.  Mangam  handles  vast  quantities  of  corn,  oats,  feed  and 
hay  for  the  home  market;  in  the  export  market  he  deals  chiefly  in  white  and 
yellow  corn,  making  a  specialty  of  fine  hay,  grown  for  the  most  part  in  New 
York  state.  This  export  trade  is  mainly  with  the  West  Indies,  the  southern 
states  and  South  America. 

Mr.  Mangam,  like  his  father  before  him,  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Baptist  church  and  has  labored  without  ceasing  for  its  advancement  and  wel- 
fare. He  united  with  this  church  as  a  member  at  the  early  age  of  fourteen, 
and  for  fifty  years  has  been  connected  with  the  Sunday-school  and  has  been 
the  superintendent  for  the  last  thirty-eight  years.  At  the  time  of  the  build- 
ing of  the  present  church  edifice  Mr.  Mangam  had  the  plans  prepared  and 
was  one  of  the  building  committee,  and  it  is  largely  owing  to  the  efforts  of 
himself  and  a  few  others  that  the  society  is  established  on  a  firm  foundation. 

Mr.  Mangam  married  Deborah,  daughter  of  Thomas  Horton,  of  Mount 


896  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Pleasant.  Their  children  are  Ella  E.,  wife  of  Louis  W.  Williams;  William 
L. ,  who  is  now  engaged  in  business  with  his  father;  Susan  J.;  Daniel  D.,  a 
graduate  of  Yale  College;  and  Deborah  L. ,  who  is  now  a  student  at  the 
Packard  Institute. 

ST.   MARY'S  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 

The  first  record  of  any  Roman  Catholic  church  in  Yonkers  is  about 
1836-9,  at  which  time  the  Rev.  James  Cummisky  began  his  ministration 
among  the  workmen  who  were  engaged  in  the  construction  of  the  Croton 
aqueduct  from  Sing  Sing  to  New  York.  Many  of  the  laborers  on  the  bridge 
over  the  Sawmill  river,  now  the  Nepperhan  river,  occupied  the  adjacent 
uplands,  which  belonged  to  Anthony  Archer,  Sr.  A  building  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Summit  street  became  the  first  Catholic  chapel  in  Yonkers. 
Here  the  Father  heard  confessions  and  said  mass  for  the  people. 

In  1848  Father  Ryan  received  a  deed  for  a  church  site  from  Judge 
Wood  worth,  the  present  site  of  St.  Mary's  church,  and  this  church  was 
built;  through  the  request  of  Father  Ryan  the  church  was  dedicated  as  the 
Church  of  Immaculate  Conception  or  St.  Mary's,  and  it  is  yet  known  by 
either  name.  The  building  committee  was  Judge  Woodworth,  Thomas  C. 
Cornell  and  Hugh  Donoghue.  It  suffered  greatly  for  lack  of  funds,  most  of 
which  was  contributed  in  small  amounts  and  from  those  of  other  religious 
sects.  At  the  end  of  1849  the  church  had  cost,  exclusive  of  land,  four  thou- 
sand five  hundred  dollars. 

Father  Ryan  organized  a  Sunday-school,  taught  the  children  himself, 
and  devoted  the  afternoons  to  teaching  musical  notation.  In  1850  he 
became  president  of  St.  Francis  Xavier's  College  in  Fifteenth  street,  New 
York  city,  and  he  was  thus  unable  to  continue  his  mission  at  Yonkers.  The 
work  was,  however,  continued  to  a  degree  by  Father  Bienvenne,  who  came 
up  from  Fordham  weekly,  on  Saturday  evening  and  Sunday.  He  attended 
the  mission  Sundays  and  holy  days  in  1849-50,  and  he  was  succeeded  by 
Father  L.  Jouin,  S.  J.,  1850-51.  In  1851  the  church  feeling  able  to  sup- 
port a  pastor.  Rev.  Thomas  S.  Preston,  now  the  Right  Reverend  Mon- 
signor  Preston,  holding  the  dignity  of  prelate  of  the  papal  household, 
arrived  in  Yonkers  and  took  charge  of  the  new  parish. 

After  Father  Ryan  became  president  of  the  College  of  St.  Francis 
Xavier,  his  mission  at  Yonkers  had  been  continued  with  some  intermissions 
by  his  successors.  Father  Jouin  brought  in  lay  teachers  to  assist  him,  and 
numbered  one  hundred  pupils  at  the  coming  of  Father  Preston  in  1857,  who, 
preferring  to  teach  the  children  himself,  excluding  lay  teachers,  taught  the 
children  on  Sunday  afternoon.  The  Yonkers  mission  at  this  time  included 
Hastings,  Dobbs  Ferry  and  Tarrytown.      Father  Preston  at  first  boarded,. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  897 

there  being  no  parochial  residence;  but  in  1853  a  small  residence  was  built, 
but  scarcely  completed  when  Father  Preston  was  recalled  to  become  the  sec- 
retary of  Archbishop  Hughes.  He  was  subsequently  made  chancellor  of  the 
diocese  and  has  now  long  been  vicar-general  and  one  of  the  archbishop's 
council.  Rev.  Father  McMahon  succeeded  Father  Preston  and  continued  in 
charge  from  October,  1853,  to  May,  1854,  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
Eugene  Maguire,  who  remained  in  charge  from  May,  1854,  to  February, 
1856.  Rev.  Edward  Lynch  succeeded  him  February  22,  1856,  and  continued 
until  1865,  his  assistants  being  Rev.  S.  A.  Mullady,  S.  J.,  1859-1861;  Rev. 
Father  Biretta,  O.  S.  F.,  1861-1862;  Rev.  Patrick  Brady,  from  January, 
1863,  to  May  following;  Rev.  T.  Byrnes,  from  June,  1864,  to  October  fol- 
lowing; and  Rev.  William  H.  H.  Owen  in  1864-65. 

The  coming  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  to  Yonkers  is  an  important  event 
in  the  history  of  St.  Mary's  church. 

The  present  site  was  purchased  from  Edwin  Forrest,  at  a  cost  of  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  the  purchase  being  negotiated  through  Mother  M. 
Angela,  a  sister  of  Archbishop  Hughes,  who  was  the  Mother  Superior  of  the 
mother  house  of  the  Sisters  near  Fifth  avenue  and  One  Hundred  and  Seventh 
street,  New  York  city.  The  title  is  in  the  name  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  a 
corporation  organized  under  the  laws  of  the  state  of  New  York.  The  con- 
vent was  begun  in  1857,  the  corner-stone  being  laid  that  year  by  Archbishop 
Hughes.  In  1859  Father  Lynch  began  the  erection  of  a  school-house,  fifty  by 
fifty-five  feet,  which  was  completed  in  1859,  at  a  cost  of  ten  thousand  dollars. 
Sisters  Chrysostom  and  Winifred  remained  in  charge  of  the  school  until  the 
death  of  former  in  1865;  and  she  was  succeeded  by  Sister  Ambrosia,  who  sub- 
sequently was  put  in  charge  of  the  Girls'  Protectory  at  Westchester,  and 
who  is  now  Mother  Superior  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  in  the  diocese. 

The  Brothers'  School  opened  in  1871,  under  Brother  Clementine,  now 
vice-president  of  Manhattan  College. 

After  the  building  of  the  school-house  the  enlargement  of  the  church 
was  begun,  and  transepts,  chancel  and  vestry  were  added;  enlarged  from 
two  aisles  and  eighty-four  pews  in  the  old  church  to  three  aisles  and  one 
hundred  and  sixty-two  pews  on  the  floor  and  thirty-four  in  the  gallery,  thus 
giving  it  a  capacity  for  seating  one  thousand  persons.  The  church  was  com- 
pleted in  1863,  at  a  cost  of  thirteen  thousand  dollars. 

Father  Lynch  died  in  1865,  in  the  tenth  year  of  his  pastorate  here. 
His  successor  was  Rev.  Charles  T.  Slevin,  in  1865.  In  1866  he  had  erected 
a  white  marble  altar  and  tabernacle  in  the  place  of  the  wooden  altar,  and 
he  made  several  other  material  improvements.  The  parish  school  was  con- 
tinued by  Father  Slevin.  Sister  Ann  Cecilia  and  Sister  M.  Maurice  con- 
ducted the  girls'  school,  which  numbered  one  hundred  and  fifty-five  children, 
57 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

and  the  Brothers,  one  hundred  and  fifty  boys,  in  1865.  The  boys'  school 
was  discontinued  in  1876  and  was  opened  again  by  Charles  R.  Corley,  suc- 
cessor of  Father  Slevin.  Father  Slevin's  assistants  were  Albert  A.  Lings, 
1867-71;  Rev.  Bernard  Goodwin,  1871-2;  Rev.  J.  Byron,  1872-4;  Rev. 
Eugene  McKenna,  1874-5;  James  W.  Hays,  1875,  short  time;  and  Rev. 
Father  Andrew  O'Reilly,  1874  to  present  time,  1899. 

Father  Slevin  died  July  18,  1878,  at  North  Easton,  Massachusetts,  and 
Rev.  Charles  Raymond  Corley  succeeded  him  in  June,  1877.  During  his 
pastorate  there  were  two  important  events, — the  founding  of  St.  Aioysius' 
Academy  at  Yonkers  in  1868  and  the  setting  off  of  the  new  parish  of  St. 
Joseph  in  1871.  The  Academy  of  St.  Aioysius  was  established  in  1868  with 
Sister  Ann  Cecilia  as  first  Sister  Superior.  The  academy  is  situated  on  lower 
Broadway,  on  what  was  formerly  the  residence  property  of  Judge  Aaron 
Vark.  The  site,  comprising  four  and  one-half  acres,  was  purchased  at  a 
cost  of  forty-two  thousand  dollars,  and  occupies  an  elevated  position  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  many  additions  have  been  made,  rendering  the  property 
"valuable.  The  institution  has  been  successful,  being  always  filled  with 
pupils.  Its  chief  importance  and  influence  has  been  in  bringing  to  Yonkers 
a  community  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity.  It  has  been  made  the  home  of  the 
Sisters  teaching  in  the  parish  schools. 

Rev.  Charles  R.  Corley  has  been  pastor  since  1877.  He  was  born  on 
St.  Raymond's  day,  1848,  received  his  classical  education  at  St.  Xavier's 
College,  New  York  city,  entered  the  Provincial  Theological  Seminary,  was 
ordained  by  Bishop  McQuaid  in  1871,  and  in  June  of  that  year  was  sent  to 
St.  Mary's,  Rondout,  New  York,  where  he  was  assistant  for  two  years.  In 
July,  1873,  he  was  sent  to  St.  Peter's,  New  York,  as  one  of  the  assistants  of 
Father  Farrell,  now  bishop  of  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  where  he  remained 
until  the  archbishop  sent  him  to  Yonkers,  in  June,  1877.  Father  Corley's 
assistants  have  been:  Rev.  Edward  Sweeny,  1877;  Rev.  Michael  Mont- 
gomery, 1880-81;  and  since  1884  James  F.  McLaughlin  has  also  been  an 
assistant.  Rev.  Andrew  O'Reilly,  D.  D.,  who  was  assistant  when  Father 
Corley  came  to  the  church,  has  done  a  great  deal  of  the  pastoral  work  in 
recent  years.  The  parish  school  was  one  of  Father  Corley's  first  cares,  and 
he  re-opened  the  boys'  department  under  the  Christian  Brothers.  Rev. 
Brother  Elwaren  was  made  principal  in  1877.  The  sodalities  of  the  parish 
school  are  as  follows:  St.  Aioysius  Society  of  Boys,  Holy  Angels  of  Girls, 
and  Society  of  the  Holy  Infant.  The  total  number  of  children  enrolled  in 
all  these  at  the  present  time  is  1,112.  The  parish  school  building  has  been 
enlarged  from  time  to  time  during  Father  Corley's  rectorship,  until  at  present 
it  is  three  stories  in  height,  one  hundred  and  twenty-three  feet  front  by  fifty- 
three  feet  in  depth. 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

St.  Mary's  church  has  several  societies, — the  Sodality  of  the  Sacred 
Heart,  the  Confraternity  of  the  Living  Rosary  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary, 
the  Children  of  St.  Mary,  a  ladies'  temperance  society  and  a  young  men's 
temperance  society. 

St.  Mary's  parish  is  one  of  the  fourteen  in  the  archdiocese  of  New  York 
that  has  been  honored  by  making  its  rector  immovable.  The  immovable 
rectors  have  a  voice  in  selecting  the  bishop  of  the  diocese  when  there  is  a 
vacancy.  Rev.  Father  Corley  has  continued  to  be  rector  since  1877,  win- 
ning the  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact  by  his  scholarly  attain- 
ments and  gentle  bearing.  During  his  rectorship  a  handsome  new  church 
edifice  has  been  erected,  at  a  cost  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  thousand 
dollars,  located  at  the  corner  of  South  Broadway  and  St.  Mary's  street.  The 
structure  is  one  of  stone,  with  a  seating  capacity  of  one  thousand  and  four 
hundred;  there  is  a  chapel  wing  to  the  church  with  a  seating  capacity  of  two 
hundred.  The  style  of  architecture  is  known  as  rounded  arched  Gothic. 
The  building  is  one  of  the  finest  and  most  costly  Catholic  houses  of  worship 
in  the  diocese.  The  corner-stone  was  laid  May  4,  1890,  and  Right  Rev. 
Monsignor  Preston  officiated  at  the  ceremony. 

The  number  of  persons  confirmed  during  Father  Corley's  pastorate  to 
date  is  about  one  thousand  and  eight  hundred. 

St.  Joseph's  Hospital  was  erected  in  1889  on  the  site  formerly  occupied 
by  St.  Aloysius'  Academy,  and  opened  March  19,  1890.  It  is  under  the 
management  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  and  it  is 
attended  by  the  priests  of  the  church. 


CAPTAIN  JAMES  M.   REQUA. 

More  than  two  centuries  ago  a  gentleman  of  a  distinguished  French 
Huguenot  family,  Glode  Requa  by  name,  crossed  the  Atlantic  ocean  in  one 
of  the  slow-saihng  vessels  of  that  day  and  found  a  home  in  America,  the  land 
of  promise.  He  proceeded  to  the  locality  of  Tarrytown,  where  the  great 
natural  beauty  of  the  place  attracted  him,  and  he  decided  to  settle  per- 
manently here.  He  was  succeeded  by  a  son,  who  had  been  christened  in  his 
honor,  Glode,  and  he,  in  turn,  left  the  old  home  place  to  his  son,  Samuel 
Requa,  who  was  the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  narrative.  Samuel 
Requa  chose  for  his  wife  a  Miss  Van  Wart,  of  an  old  and  honored  Holland 
family. 

The  parents  of  Captain  James  M.  Requa  were  Isaac  and  Bridget  (Dunn) 
Requa,  the  former  born  in  1794  on  the  old  Tarrytown  farm,  and  the  latter 
born  in  1806.  The  father  died  here  in  October,  1870,  and  the  mother 
departed  this  life  in  1896.     They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  six  of 


900  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

whom  grew  to  mature  years,  namely:  Maria,  Isaac,  Ann,  James  M.,  Julia, 
who  married  David  Kent,  and  Grace,  wife  of  Frank  D.  Millard,  of  Tarry- 
town. 

The  birth  of  Captain  J.  M.  Requa  occurred  in  Tarrytown  September  24, 
1 86 1.  He  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  and  later  it  was 
his  privilege  to  attend  Irving  Institute  for  some  time.  Upon  leaving  the 
school-room  he  entered  the  law  office  of  W.  H.  Ely,  and  for  several  months 
was  employed  there  in  the  capacity  of  a  clerk.  He  then  embarked  upon  his 
mercantile  career,  and  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  Isaac  Requa,  opened 
a  grocery,  the  style  of  the  firm  being  I.  &  J.  M.  Requa.  This  business  enter- 
prise, founded  in  June,  1881,  is  yet  in  existence,  and  a  large  and  flourishing 
trade  is  carried  on  by  the  brothers.  In  1891  James  M.  Requa  purchased  a 
half  interest  in  the  steamboat  named  Armitage,  the  other  half  being  owned 
by  Captain  James  Duell.  The  boat  is  used  for  both  passengers  and  freight 
and  makes  three  trips  weekly  between  Tarrytown  and  New  York  city.  In 
his  various  business  undertakings  Captain  Requa  has  met  with  gratifying 
success,  as  he  justly  deserves,  for  his  financial  methods  are  above  reproach, 
and  his  well  directed  energy,  sound  judgment  and  intelligent  supervision  of 
his  affairs  insure  the  best  results. 

A  man  of  great  public  spirit,  active  in  the  Republican  party,  he  has 
officiated  in  several  minor  positions  in  this  locality.  In  June,  1891,  he 
was  appointed  postmaster  of  Tarrytown,  and  continued  to  discharge  the 
responsible  duties  of  this  office  until  the  change  of  administration,  when 
he  tendered  his  resignation.  March  29,  1899,  he  was  again  appointed  to 
the  position,  by  President  McKinley.  Socially,  he  stands  high  in  the 
regard  of  all  who  know  him,  and  he  is  considered  one  of  the  leading 
spirits  in  the  Young  Men's  Lyceum,  the  Tarrytown  Gun  Club  and  in  the  Con- 
queror Hook  &  Ladder  Company,  in  all  of  which  organizations  he  has  been 
an  active  member  for  some  years. 

Captain  Requa's  marriage  to  Miss  Myra  R.  Lee,  of  Pottsdam,  St.  Law- 
rence county,  New  York,  was  celebrated  May  10,  1887.  Mrs.  Requa  is  a 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Harriet  G.  (Bloss)  Lee,  and  by  her  marriage  has 
become  the  mother  of  four  interesting  children,  namely:  Harriet  Ruth,  born 
September  27,  1890;  James  M.,  Jr.,  April  18,  1895;  Helen,  April  24,  1896; 
and  Frances,  January  15,  1899. 


CHARLES  ELDREDGE. 


Mr.  Eldredge,  the  prominent  and  efficient  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Rye, 
Westchester  county,  has  been  an  important  factor  in  the  business  circles  of 
the  community,  and  for  many  years  has  served  as  secretary  of  the  Port  Ches- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  901 

ter  Bolt  &  Nut  Works,  of  Port  Chester,  New  York,  having  held  the  position 
since  the  organization  of  the  company.  It  is  one  of  the  largest  manufactories 
of  the  kind  in  the  country,  and  its  products  are  sold  not  only  in  the  United 
States  but  in  England  and  other  foreign  countries. 

Mr.  Eldredge  was  born  July  15,  1855,  in  Binghamton,  New  York,  and  is 
a  son  of  Charles  Eldredge,  who  was  for  several  years  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent attorneys  of  this  section  of  the  state.  The  grandfather,  Christopher 
Eldredge,  was  born  in  Stonington,  Connecticut,  of  English  extraction,  and 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  Binghamton.  The  father  was  a  native  of  that 
place,  where  he  was  reared  and  continued  to  make  his  home  until  about  1865, 
when  he  came  to  Westchester  county  and  purchased  a  residence  at  Orienta, 
in  the  town  of  Rye.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Geneva  College,  being  a  class- 
mate of  James  G.  Blaine  and  Secretary  Folger.  While  a  resident  of  Bing- 
hamton he  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  and  in  1858  went  to 
California  to  take  charge  of  a  case  for  his  brother,  and  was  there  employed 
as  counsel  on  many  silver  cases  iu  the  supreme  court.  He  was  a  Republican 
in  politics  but  took  no  active  part  in  partisan  work,  and  was  a  faithful  mem- 
ber of  the  Episcopal  church.  He  married  Miss  Jeanette  Waterman,  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Pamela  (Whitney)  Waterman,  of  Binghamton,  the  latter 
a  daughter  of  General  Whitney.  Mrs.  Eldredge,  who  also  was  an  active 
member  of  the  Episcopal  church,  died  in  1892,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four 
years,  and  her  husband  passed  away  in  1866,  at  the  age  of  sixty.  In  their 
family  were  five  children,  namely:  Olive  P.,  wife  of  John  Haviland,  of  Rye, 
New  York;  Jennie,  wife  of  Baron  Von  Fresckow,  of  Berlin,  Germany;  Thomas 
W.,  a  business  man  of  New  York;  Jeanette,  wife  of  Joshua  Friro,  an  attorney 
of  New  York  city;  and  Charles,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Charles  Eldredge  remained  at  home  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  when 
he  entered  the  St.  Paul's  Boarding  School  at  Concord,  New  Hampshire, 
where  he  pursued  his  studies  for  three  years.  He  next  attended  Columbia 
College,  where  he  was  graduated  with  honors  in  the  class  of  1879,  and  later 
he  took  a  two-years  course  at  the  College  of  Physicians  &  Surgeons  in  New 
York,  but  did  not  enter  the  medical  fraternity.  Since  that  time  he  has  been 
identified  with  the  business  at  Port  Chester,  with  which  he  is  still  connected, 
and  as  a  business  man  he  has  displayed  marked  ability,  being  sagacious,  far- 
sighted  and  progressive. 

Mr.  Eldredge  married  Miss  Ida  E.  Sanford,  of  New  York,  and  they  now 
have  four  children:  Charles,  Sanford,  Ida  and  Margaret.  The  family  have  a 
most  beautiful  and  pleasant  home  at  Rye,  two  miles  from  Port  Chester,  and 
their  hospitality  reigns  supreme,  their  many  friends  always  feeling  sure  of  a 
hearty  welcome.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eldredge  are  active  members  of  the 
Episcopal  church. 


902  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

As  a  Republican,  Mr.  Eldredge  has  always  taken  a  prominent  and  influ- 
ential part  in  local  politics,  and  for  some  time  he  served  as  one  of  the  trust- 
ees of  the  Rye  public  schools,  resigning  that  position  on  his  election  to  the 
office  of  supervisor.  He  never  sought  the  nomination  and  reluctantly  con- 
sented to  run,  accepting  the  responsibility  as  a  duty  a  citizen  owes  to  his 
fellow  taxpayers,  and  not  because  he  believed  the  office  would  be  of  benefit  to 
him.  His  popularity  and  the  confidence  and  trust  reposed  in  him  was  mani- 
fest by  his  election  in  a  township  which  usually  was  strongly  Democratic. 
For  six  years  he  was  one  of  Columbia  College's  champion  oarsman. 


EMMETT  S.  CROWE. 


Mr.  E.  S.  Crowe,  the  station  agent  at  Harrison,  and  justice  of  the  peace 
of  Harrison  township,  is  one  of  the  well-known  and  popular  magistrates  of 
Westchester  county,  who  has  the  reputation  of  dispensing  justice  in  a  manner 
worthy  of  a  judge  of  the  higher  courts.  He  carefully  weighs  the  evidence  of 
each  case,  and  is  never  hasty  in  his  conclusions.  Although  a  strong  Democrat 
in  politics,  his  name  appeared  on  both  the  Democratic  and  Republican  tickets, 
and  he  was  elected  in  March,  1894,  for  a  five-years  term.  His  father,  the 
late  Esquire  Charles  C.  Crowe,  who  died  in  1895,  was  a  justice  and  migistrate 
for  nearly  thirty  years,  and  was  known  far  and  near  as  an  officer  who  dealt 
out  justice  according  to  the  dictates  of  his  judgment  without  fear  of  conse- 
quences. 

Mr.  Crowe  is  a  native  of  Columbia  county,  New  York,  born  February 
22,  1863,  when  all  the  nation  was  celebrating  the  birth  of  the  father  of  our 
country.  His  paternal  great-grandfather  was  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  and  made  an  honorable  record  as  a  soldier.  The  family  is  an  old  and 
prominent  one  in  this  country.  Our  subject's  father  was  for  many  years  act- 
ively identified  with  the  interests  of  that  county,  was  a  leader  in  the  local 
Democratic  organization,  and  besides  serving  as  justice  of  the  peace  he  filled 
the  office  of  township  clerk  for  a  time.  For  years  he  was  a  deacon  in  the 
Baptist  church.  He  married  Miss  Maria  Williams,  a  native  of  Columbia 
county,  who  is  still  living,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one.  Her  mother,  who  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Loomis,  lived  to  the  age  of  ninety-three  years,  and 
belonged  to  a  family  noted  for  longevity.  She  was  the  youngest  of  five  chil- 
dren, living  on  the  Livingston  grant  or  manor  farms,  some  of  whom  lived  to 
be  over  one  hundred  years  old.  Four  children  were  born  to  Charles  C.  and 
Maria  Crowe:  Charles,  now  a  dry-goods  merchant  of  Troy,  New  York; 
Linda,  wife  of  Dr.  William  Hogeboom,  of  Troy;  Laura,  wife  of  Allen  Conk- 
hn,  of  Hillsdale,  New  York;  and  Emmett  S. 

The  subject  of  this  review  received  a  good  practical  education  at  Hills- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  903 

dale,  New  York,  and  in  1882  became  connected  with  the  railroad.  The  fol- 
lowing year  he  came  to  Harrison,  where  he  has  since  acceptably  served  as 
local  agent.  On  the  22d  of  July,  1887,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Ida  R.  Roser,  of  Harrison,  a  daughter  of  John  E.  Roser,  a  well-known  mer- 
chant of  that  place.  They  now  have  two  interesting  children:  Mabel  R.  and 
Charles  E.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crowe  are  both  members  of  Hope  Chapel  Associa- 
tion, and  she  is  serving  as  organist  and  teacher  in  the  Sabbath  school. 
Socially,  Mr.  Crowe  affiliates  with  Apawarmiz  Lodge,  No.  800,  F.  &  A.  M., 
of  Rye  Neck,  of  which  he  is  the  secretary  and  was  one  of  the  promoters;  and 
he  is  a  trustee  of  the  Harrison  Fire  Company,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
organizers  and  promoters.  He  is  a  very  popular  and  influential  citizen  and 
has  made  a  host  of  warm  friends  since  coming  to  Harrison. 


SILAS  J.   OWENS. 


For  a  number  of  years  the  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch  has 
been  numbered  among  the  leading  members  of  the  legal  profession  in  Peeks- 
kill,  New  York.  He  is  one  of  the  native  sons  of  the  Empire  state,  his  birth 
having  taken  place  in  Putnam  county  December  2,  1831.  He  is  of  Welsh 
descent,  as  his  paternal  grandfather,  Jonathan  Owens,  was  one  of  three 
brothers  who  passed  their  early  years  in  Wales,  the  land  of  their  birth,  and 
together  came  to  seek  new  homes  and  fortunes  in  America  toward  the  latter 
part  of  the  eighteenth  century.  The  brothers  were  named  respectively  Jesse 
and  Solomon.  They  settled  in  Saybrook,  on  Phillip's  Patent,  in  1783,  buy- 
ing farms,  which  they  proceeded  to  develop  and  cultivate,  with  the  energy 
and  application  common  to  those  of  their  country. 

Family  tradition  states  that  the  first  ancestor  of  the  family  who  came 
from  Wales  was  Jonathan  Owens,  who  settled  at  Saybrook,  Connecticut, 
about  1650.  His  grandsons  were  Solomon,  Jonathan  (who  was  the  great- 
grandfather of  our  subject)  and  Jesse.  Jonathan  Owens,  the  great-grand- 
father of  our  subject,  settled  in  Putnam  county.  New  York,  on  part  of  the 
land  of  the  old  Phillip's  Patent  land  grant,  known  as  the  Robinson's  long 
lot.  This  patriarch  of  the  Owens  family  of  New  York  had  sons,  among 
whom  was  Jonathan,  who  served  in  the  continental  army  during  the  Revo- 
lution; Levi  was  the  grandfather  of  Silas  J.,  and  Solomon,  Samuel  and  Israel 
were  the  other  sons.  Levi  Owens,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  married 
Sarah  Sherwood,,  succeeded  to  part  of  his  father's  estate  in  Putnam  county, 
New  York,  and  died  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years,  leaving  sons  and  daugh- 
ters as  follows:  Jesse,  Levi  (the  father  of  Silas  J.),  Jasper,  Phoebe  (Mrs. 
Jasper  Horton:  Mr.  Horton  died  and  his  widow  married  Silas  Whitney), 
Nancy  (who  died  in   early  womanhood),  Jane   (Mrs.  William  Terry),  Maria 


904  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

(Mrs.  Sands  Reynolds),  Dorothea  (Mrs.  William  H.  Ferguson),  Sarah  (Mrs. 
James  Sherwood:  her  second  union  was  to  John  B.  Cole),  and  Rachael,  who 
remained  unmarried. 

Levi  Owens,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  an  agriculturist,  as  were  his 
ancestors.  He  was  born  and  reared  to  manhood  in  Putnam  county,  and  there 
married  Miss  Nancy  Whitney,  a  daughter  of  Silas  Whitney,  a  prominent  cit- 
izen of  that  section  of  the  state.  Seven  children  blessed  their  union,  namely: 
Thomas  W. ,  Washington,  Nancy  M.,  Fayetta,  Phoebe  A.,  Silas  J.  and 
Sarah  A. 

Silas  J.  Owens  passed  his  boyhood  days  in  Putnam  county  and  received 
a  liberal  education.  He  attended  the  state  normal  after  completing  his  pub- 
lic-school course  and  soon  entered  upon  the  study  of  law.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1863,  at  the  old  brown-stone  court-house,  and  not  long  after- 
ward opened  an  office  in  Cold  Spring,  Putnam  county.  Subsequently  he 
was  located  in  the  practice  of  law  in  New  York  city  for  a  period,  and  in  1881 
he  went  to  Leadville,  Colorado,  where  he  resided  for  a  year  and  a  half.  For 
a  number  of  years  past  he  has  conducted  a  legal  business  in  this  city  and  has 
won  the  admiration  of  his  brethren  in  the  profession,  as  well  as  the  respect 
and  high  regard  of  his  fellow  citizens  in  general.  He  is  independent  in  the 
matter  of  politics,  using  his  franchise  for  the  men  and  measures  he  deems 
best  regardless  of  party  lines. 

In  1873  Mr.  Owens  married  Miss  Martha  Ann  Warren,  daughter  of  John 
Warren,  a  son  of  Peter  Warren,  who  was  the  first  sheriff  of  Putnam  county, 
New  York,  and  held  the  office  for  three  terms,  dying  whilst  in  office.  His 
wife,  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Owens,  was  a  Miss  Matilda  Ann  Ireland  in  her  girl- 
hood, a  native  of  Putnam  county,  and  of  an  old  and  respected  New  York  fam- 
ily. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Warren  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  viz. :  Cath- 
erine, Mary,  Permelia,  Martha,  Susan,  Sarah,  Esther,  Alexander,  Edward, 
Wilham,  Nelson  and  Purdy.  The  only  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Owens  is 
Washington,  who  was  born  April  21,  1875.  This  young  man,  who  has  a 
most  promising  future,  was  one  of  the  brave  boys  who  offered  their  services 
in  the  late  war  with  Spain,  he  being  a  member  of  Company  I,  Twenty-second 
Regiment  of  New  York  Volunteer  Infantry. 


JAMES  B.  COLGATE. 


James  Boorman  Colgate,  so  well  known  throughout  Westchester  county 
and  the  country  at  large  for  his  deep  interests  in  all  philanthropic  movements, 
was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York,  March  4,  18 18.  The  family  is  of  English 
stock,  appearing  in  the  county  of  Kent  as  early  as  the  beginning  of  the  fif- 
teenth century.     The  first  of   the  name  in  this  country  was  Robert  Colgate, 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  905 

who  had  been  prominent  among  the  freedom-loving  yeomanry  of  Kent,  in  the 
days  of  the  American  Revolution,  as  an  outspoken  advocate  of  the  cause  of 
the  colonies.  Subsequently  sympathizing  with  some  of  the  principles  of  the 
French  Revolution,  and  joining  in  the  demand  for  reform  in  England,  he  was 
in  danger  of  arrest;  but,  through  the  friendly  suggestion  of  Pitt,  who  had  been 
a  companion  of  his  boyhood,  he  decided  to  remove  from  England,  and,  early 
in  1795,  left  his  home  with  his  wife  and  children  for  the  United  States,  his 
departure  being  marked  by  many  tokens  of  regard  from  the  people  of  Kent. 
He  resided  for  some  time  in  Maryland,  but  spent  his  last  years  in  Delaware 
county.  New  York. 

William  Colgate,  the  eldest  of  his  sons,  entered  into  business  in  the  city 
of  New  York  in  1806,  and  built  up  the  well-known  house  of  Colgate  &  Com- 
pany, in  Dutch  and  John  streets,  of  which  he  was  the  head  till  his  death  in 
1857,  having  maintained  for  half  century  a  high  reputation  for  sagacity, 
sterling  commercial  integrity  and  Christian  character.  His  surviving  sons 
are  Samuel,  at  the  head  of  the  old  house;  Robert,  of  the  Atlantic  White 
Lead  Company,  and  James  B.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

James  B.  Colgate  received  his  early  education  partly  in  Connecticut  and 
partly  in  New  York  city.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  was  prepared  for  college, 
but  his  mind  turned  to  business,  and  he  spent  the  next  seven  years  in  acquir- 
ing a  thorough  knowledge  of  mercantile  life.  The  last  four  years  of  his  clerk- 
ship were  passed  in  the  well  known  commission  house  of  Boorman,  Johnson 
&  Company.  Failing  in  health,  he  spent  the  larger  portion  of  the  year  1 841  in 
Europe.  On  his  return  he  accepted  an  opening  in  the  wholesale  dry-goods 
business.  In  1852  he  entered  Wall  Street  as  a  dealer  in  stocks,  associating 
himself  with  John  B.  Trevor,  under  the  firm  name  of  Trevor  &  Colgate.  In 
1857  they  added  a  billion  department,  and  established  themselves  at  No.  47 
Wall  street.  This  has  always  been  the  leading  billion  house  of  this  country. 
To  this  branch  of  the  business  Mr.  Colgate  has  especially  directed  his  atten- 
tion. He  was  among  the  first  to  organize,  during  the  civil  war,  the  New 
York  Gold  Exchange,  of  which  he  was  for  many  years  president.  His  papers 
advocating  the  remonetization  of  silver,  and  expressing  views  in  which  he  at 
one  time  stood  almost  alone,  have  been  extensively  read,  and  evince  his  well- 
known  strength  and  independence  of  judgment. 

Mr.  Colgate's  leading  interest,  apart  from  his  business,  has  been  given 
to  education  and  general  Christian  benevolence.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one, 
moved  by  convictions  which  had  influenced  his  whole  life,  he  became  a  pro- 
fessing Christian  and  identified  himself  with  the  Baptist  denomination.  Be- 
ginning in  his  early  business  career,  while  receiving  but  a  moderate  salary, 
he  has  made  it  a  life  principle  to  give  a  percentage  of  his  income  for  the  pro- 
imotion   of  Christianity  in   all   departments  of  its  work.     This  self-resolved 


906  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

pledge  has  been  more  than  kept.  He  has  been  fortunate  in  his  association 
with  a  partner  who  has  sympathized  with  him  in  his  purposes,  and  has  emu- 
lated his  gifts.  Mr.  Colgate  and  Mr.  Trevor  united  in  building  the  Baptist 
church  in  Yonkers,  New  York,  at  a  cost  of  one  hundred  and  ninety  thousand 
dollars,  in  giving  fifty  thousand  dollars  to  the  Baptist  Church  Extension 
Fund,  and  in  fostering  many  other  enterprises,  both  benevolent  and  edu- 
cational. 

Mr.  Colgate's  devotion  to  the  cause  of  Christian  education  was,  in  part, 
the  result  of  his  early  home  training,  and  has  thus  been  shared  by  his  brother 
Samuel  and  others  of  the  family.  William  Colgate,  the  father,  was  one  of 
the  leading  corporators  of  Madison  University.  The  Colgate  Academy  build- 
ing was  erected  in  1873,  at  the  sole  expense  of  James  B.  Colgate.  He  gave 
also  forty-two  thousand  dollars  toward  endowing  the  principalship.  Mr. 
Colgate's  interest  in  Madison  University  has  been  more  than  an  inheritance 
or  a  sentiment,  however  profound.  It  has  rooted  itself  in  his  intellectual 
and  moral  convictions.  He  fully  appreciates  the  worth  of  higher  Christian 
education  to  his  denomination,  and  so  to  the  world. 

He  became  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Madison  University  in 
1 86 1,  and  in  1864  was  elected  president  of  the  board,  which  position  he  still 
holds.  Since  January,  1865,  he  has,  at  various  times,  contributed  to  the 
invested  funds  of  the  University  no  less  than  two  hundred  and  forty-seven 
thousand  dollars,  besides  expending  an  additional  sum  of  sixty  thousand 
dollars  for  the  building  and  grounds  of  Colgate  Academy.  These  repeated 
and  munificent  gifts  have  not  been  due  to  any  pressure  of  solicitation,  but 
have  been  spontaneous  offerings.  He  has  led  all  others  in  his  desire  for  the 
prosperity  of  the  university.  His  donations,  having  been  prompted  by  prin- 
ciple, have  been  altogether  free  from  ostentation.  Neither  has  his  interest 
in  the  university  been  alloyed  with  any  of  those  personal  elements  that  fre- 
quently enter  into  large  benefactions.  He  has  never  subordinated  the  welfare 
of  the  university  to  any  of  those  private  ends,  fancies  or  friendships.  Mr. 
Colgate's  beneficence  has  not  been  confined  to  one  institution.  He  has  been 
alive  to  the  claims  of  others.  He  has  given,  for  his  wife  (daughter  of  the 
late  Governor  Colby,  of  New  Hampshire),  about  ninety  thousand  dollars  to 
the  Colby  Academy,  at  New  London,  New  Hampshire;  also  twenty  thousand 
dollars  to  the  Rochester  University;  ten  thousand  dollars  to  the  Peddie  Insti- 
tution, at  Hightstown,  New  Jersey;  besides  liberal  sums  to  Columbian  Col- 
lege, Washington,  D.  C. ;  to  Rochester  Theological  Seminary;  to  the  Cook 
Academy,  at  Havana,  New  York;  and  to  other  institutions,  both  at  the 
north  and  south.  To  these  donations  may  be  added  his  gifts  to  needy 
churches  and  to  various  missionary  and  benevolent  societies. 

Mr.  Colgate  is  a   man  of  strong  physique,  with  a  countenance  that  be- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  907 

trays  intelligence,  frankness  and  force.  He  has  indomitable  energy,  breadth 
and  acuteness  of  intellectual  perception  and  deep  religious  convictions.  Asso- 
ciated with  these  is  a  love  of  truthfulness  so  intense  as  to  produce  a  thorough 
intolerance  of  all  shams  and  false  pretensions.  His  character  is  also  equally 
marked  by  the  openness  and  geniality  of  his  nature  and  his  great  kindness  of 
heart:  He  deservedly  holds  a  high  place  among  the  princely  givers  of  our 
times,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  many  other  men  of  large  wealth  may  emu- 
late his  example. 

ROBERT  COLGATE. 

The  family  which  Mr.  Colgate  represented  has  been  traced  back  to  a  very 
remote  ancestry  in  England.  They  appear  to  have  been  settled  in  the  county  of 
Kent  at  an  early  date.  The  immediate  ancestor  of  the  branch  of  the  family 
that  settled  in  America  was  Robert  Colgate;  a  native  of  the  village  of  Seven 
Oaks,  in  Kent,  a  man  of  note  and  influence  and  a  prominent  agriculturist  of 
his  native  county.  In  political  affairs  he  was  a  most  determined  Radical,  and 
so  plainly  outspoken  in  his  opinions  as  to  render  him  obnoxious  to  the  gov- 
ernment. His  known  sympathy  with  the  Radicals  and  the  assistance  he 
rendered  to  some  who  were  confined  in  the  Tower  of  London  caused  an  order 
for  his  arrest  and  imprisonment  to  be  issued.  In  his  younger  days  he  had 
been  a  schoolmate  [of  William  Pitt,  and  that  statesman,  moved  by  remem- 
brance of  early  friendship,  sent  him  a  timely  warning,  with  the  intimation 
that  if  he  should  leave  for  America  within  a  limited  time  an  opportunity 
would  be  given.  Acting  upon  this  suggestion,  he  hired  a  vessel,  and  with 
his  family  sailed  for  the  New  World  and  landed  at  Baltimore  in  1795.  Under 
the  protection  of  a  free  government,  the  fiery  Radical  soon  became  the  peace- 
ful citizen,  and,  purchasing  a  farm  near  Baltimore,  he  made  agriculture  the 
business  of  his  life.  Upon  this  farm  he  remained  several  years,  then  removed 
to  the  state  of  New  York  and  took  charge  of  the  farm  of  Peter  J.  Monroe, 
Esq.,  of  Westchester  county.  Some  years  later  his  son  William,  having 
been  successful  in  business,  purchased  a  farm  in  Andes,  Delaware  county, 
New  York,  and  placed  his  father  upon  it.  Here  he  lived  a  life  of  quiet  use- 
fulness till  1826,  when,  walking  to  church  one  Sabbath  morning,  he  suddenly 
dropped  dead,  having  reached  the  age  of  sixty-four. 

Mr.  Colgate  was  married,  in  England,  to  Miss  Sarah  Bowles,  and  their 
children  were  William,  Bowles,  John,  George,  Charles,  Charlotte  (wife  of 
Dr.  William  B.  Selden,  of  Norfolk,  Virginia),  Esther  (wife  of  Jacob  Klein,  of 
New  Orleans),  and  Lydia  and  Maria  (both  of  whom  died  unmarried). 

William  Colgate,  the  oldest  son,  was  born  in  Kent,  England,  in  1783, 
and  came  to  this  country  with  his  father.  At  the  age  of  twelve  he  was 
apprenticed  to  John  Slidell,  who  at  that  time  was  doing  business  at  Bowling 


908  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Green,  in  the  city  of  New  York.  In  after  years  Mr.  Slidell  failed  in  business, 
and,  through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Colgate,  he  obtained  the  position  of  presi- 
dent of  the  Mechanics'  Bank,  and  was  subsequently  president  of  the  Traders' 
Insurance  Company.  He  died  very  suddenly  of  cholera,  in  1832.  His  son, 
John  Slidell,  lived  in  Virginia  and  gained  at  a  later  day  a  very  undesirable 
notoriety  as  the  ambassador  of  the  Confederate  States  to  France.  After 
remaining  a  while  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Slidell,  Mr.  Colgate  commenced 
business  for  himself  in  1806  as  a  manufacturer  of  soap  and  candles,  in  part- 
nership with  Francis  Smith.  Their  place  of  business  was  No.  6  Dutch  street. 
New  York.  During  the  war  of  18 12  the  firm  carried  on  an  extensive  and 
prosperous  trade,  and  he  found  himself  on  the  road  to  fortune.  Mr.  Smith 
having  retired  from  the  firm,  Mr.  Colgate  conducted  the  business,  which  is 
still  continued  at  the  old  place,  under  the  firm  name  of  Colgate  &  Company. 
After  a  life  of  successful  business  enterprise,  Mr.  Colgate  died,  in  1857,  and 
was  laid  to  his  last  repose  in  Greenwood  cemetery.  He  left  to  his  descend- 
ants not  only  the  wealth  which  was  the  result  of  his  commercial  ability  and 
energy,  but  also  the  still  richer  legacy  of  an  unblemished  reputation;  and  all 
who  knew  him  were  willing  to  unite  in  the  testimony  that  he  was  a  man  of 
upright  life  and  free  from  guile.  Like  his  father  before  him,  he  was  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Baptist  church  and  deeply  interested  in  all  that  could  increase 
its  welfare  and  advance  its  usefulness.  He  married  Mary,  daughter  of 
Edward  Gilbert  and  their  children  were  Robert,  Gilbert,  Sarah  (who  died 
unmarried),  James  B.  (of  the  well  known  banking  company  of  James  B.  Col- 
gate &  Company),  Joseph  (who  died  in  Berlin,  Prussia,  in  1864),  Samuel  (of 
Orange,  New  Jersey),  William  (who  died  unmarried  in  1838)  and  Mary  (wife 
of  Robert  Colby). 

Robert  Colgate,  the  oldest  of  his  family  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York,  January  29,  1812.  In  his  early  youth  he 
attended  school  at  Rhinebeck,  during  two  years,  and  then  went  to  Hamilton, 
Madison  county.  New  York,  where  he  attended  an  academy  under  the  care 
of  Zenas  Morse,  who  held  a  high  reputation  as  an  instructor.  Upon  his 
return  to  New  York  he  attended  the  high  school  under  the  care  of  Daniel  H. 
Barnes,  a  well  known  teacher.  His  introduction  to  business  was  as  clerk  in 
the  employ  of  Samuel  Hicks  &  Son.  One  of  the  most  important  episodes  of 
this  period  of  his  life  was  his  experience  during  the  cholera  of  1832,  when 
he  was  the  only  one  of  the  employees  who  remained  at  his  post  during  that 
fatal  time.  Upon  one  occasion  he,  in  company  with  a  carman  in  the  employ 
of  the  firm,  left  the  building  at  the  same  time.  Within  four  hours  his  com- 
panion was  dead  and  buried;  Mr.  Colgate  himself  was  seized  with  the  disease, 
but  fortunately  survived  the  attack. 

In  1833  he  went  into  business  on  his  own  account,  in  company  with  his 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  909. 

uncle  Charles  and  George  P.  Pollen,  under  the  firm  name  of  Colgate,  Pollen 
&  Colgate,  manufacturers  and  dealers  in  dye-stuffs  and  paints,  their  place  of 
business  being  at  177  Water  street.  In  1845  he  built  the  Atlantic  White 
Lead  Works  in  Brooklyn,  having  previously  purchased  the  store  property  at 
287  Pearl  street.  New  York,  which  at  that  time  was  surrounded  by  the  private 
residences  of  many  wealthy  and  prominent  citizens.  To  the  works  in  Brook- 
lyn he  added  the  manufacture  of  linseed  oil,  and  the  firm,  which  is  now  known 
by  the  name  of  Robert  Colgate  &  Company,  are  among  the  most  extensive 
dealers  in  paint  and  oil  in  the  country,  and  bear  a  high  reputation  in  the  com- 
mercial world.  They  have  stood  unshaken  through  all  the  financial  reverses 
which  have  visited  the  city,  and  never  failed  to  meet  all  obligations  with 
promptness.  It  has  always  been  the  policy  of  the  firm  to  secure  the  services 
of  trustworthy  and  faithful  employes  and  to  retain  them  as  long  as  they  are 
willing  to  remain.  As  an  illustration,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  the  book- 
keeper, James  B.  Carr,  has  been  in  the  employ  of  the  firm  for  fifty  years,  and 
the  cashier  for  thirty  years.  By  a  failure  of  health,  Mr.  Colgate  was  com- 
pelled at  length  to  retire  from  active  labor  and  finally  died. 

He  purchased  an  estate  in  Westchester  county,  at  Riverdale,  which  he 
greatly  improved,  and  under  his  care  Stonehurst  was  made  one  of  the  finest 
residences  on  the  Hudson.  Its  elevated  position  commands  one  of  the  most 
extended  views  on  the  river,  while  the  resources  of  wealth  and  refined  taste 
have  been  joined  to  make  it  a  thing  of  beauty. 

Mr.  Colgate  married  Cornelia  F. ,  daughter  of  Abner  Weyman.  They 
were  the  parents  of  two  children, — Abner  W.  and  Georgiana.  Mrs.  Colgate 
died  in  1842,  and  Mr.  Colgate  subsequently  married  Mary  E. ,  daughter  o£ 
Romulus  Riggs,  of  Philadelphia. 


WILLIAM  H.  MURRAY. 


William  H.  Murray,  the  present  efficient  trustee  of  the  village  of  New 
Rochelle,  New  York,  and  a  well  known  dairyman,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Mamaroneck,  Westchester  county,  February  14,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of 
William  and  Margaret  (Coffee)  Murray.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Ireland, 
born  in  Kings  county,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  was  married,  and  on. 
his  emigration  with  his  family  to  the  New  World  he  settled  in  the  town  of 
Mamaroneck,  Westchester  county.  New  York,  making  his  home  there  for  a. 
number  of  years,  while  he  followed  his  chosen  occupation,  that  of  farming. 
Later  he  removed  to  New  Rochelle,  and  there  his  death  occurred,  in  1873. 

In  much  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  lads,  William  H.  Murray,  of  this- 
review,  passed  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  Mamaroneck,  acquiring  an  excellent 
knowledge  of  agricultural  pursuits,  which  has  been  of  great  benefit  to  him  in. 


910  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

later  years.  He  was  first  sent  to  the  public  schools,  but  completed  his  liter- 
ary education  in  the  high  school  at  Mamaroneck.  He  continued  to  reside  in 
his  native  town  until  he  attained  the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  and  then  was 
employed  at  New  Rochelle,  Mamaroneck  and  other  places  in  Westchester 
county.  For  the  past  eight  years  he  has  successfully  engaged  in  the  dairy 
business,  keeping  a  number  of  cows  on  the  Clifford  farm,  which  is  usually 
known  as  the  John  Stephenson  farm,  the  owner  being  Mr.  Stephenson,  the 
noted  street-car  builder. 

As  an  ardent  Democrat,  Mr.  Murray  takes  quite  an  active  and  promi- 
nent part  in  local  political  affairs,  and  is  a  recognized  leader  of  the  party  in 
his  town.  In  the  spring  of  1897  he  was  elected  trustee  of  the  village  of  New 
Rochelle  for  a  term  of  two  years,  and  is  now  most  capably  and  satisfactorily 
■filling  that  office. 

JAMES  STEWART,   Jr. 

In  a  history  of  the  industrial  and  commercial  interests  which  have  led 
to  the  present  prosperity  in  Westchester  county,  the  name  of  James  Stewart, 
Jr.,  cannot  well  be  omitted,  for  he  has  been  the  promoter  of  some  of  the 
leading  enterprises  of  the  county. 

He  was  born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  on  the  19th  of  February,  1842, 
and  is  a  son  of  James  and  Euphemia  (Douglas)  Stewart.  The  Stewart  family 
originated  in  Scotland,  and  the  grandfather,  who  also  bore  the  name  of 
James,  was  a  resident  of  Glasgow,  where  he  took  a  prominent  part  in  public 
affairs  and  held  a  number  of  official  positions.  James  Stewart,  father  of  him 
whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  was  a  stationary  engineer,  and  when  a  young 
man  came  to  the  United  States,  locating  in  Boston,  whence  he  subsequently 
removed  to  Danbury,  Connecticut,  where  his  last  days  were  passed.  He 
was  a  Whig  and  Republican  in  his  political  affiliations,  was  a  Presbyterian  in 
his  religious  faith,  and  belonged  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  have  passed  away.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren: Jennie  Frances,  James,  Catherine  Douglas,  Margaret,  Euphemia  Smyth 
and  John  Stewart. 

James  Stewart,  of  this  review,  now  a  resident  of  Yonkers,  attended  the 
grammar  schools  of  Boston  until  his  seventeenth  year,  and  then  learned  the 
cutter's  trade  in  a  tailoring  establishment.  He  subsequently  followed  that 
business  for  several  years  and  in  the  meantime  removed  to  Danbury,  Con- 
necticut. After  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war  he  enlisted  in  June,  1861, 
as  a  private  of  Company  A,  Fifth  Connecticut  Infantry,  and  served  first  under 
General  Banks.  This  regiment  was  an  active  fighting  body  of  brave  soldiers, 
and  a  brief  summary  of  its  history  must  be  incorporated  here. 

The   Fifth   Regiment  of  Connecticut  Infantry  was  mustered   into    the 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  911 

United  States  service  at  Hartford,  Connecticut,  left  the  state  for  the  front  in 
July,  1861,  and  joined  the  command  of  General  Banks  at  Sandy  Hook,  Mary- 
land. During  the  heat  of  the  summer  and  the  inclemency  of  the  ensuing 
winter  it  was  actively  employed  in  watching  the  various  fords  of  the  Potomac 
for  the  distance  of  nearly  a  hundred  miles,  marching  to  and  fro  as  the  occa- 
sion required.  In  the  spring  of  1862  it  crossed  the  Potomac  into  the  Shenan- 
doah valley  and  advanced  to  Harrisburg,  Virginia,  and  was  with  Banks  on 
that  memorable  retreat  through  the  valley.  On  the  last  day  it  engaged 
Stonewall  Jackson  at  Winchester  for  three  hours  and  was  cut  off  from  the 
main  column,  but  finally  cut  its  way  through  the  rebel  lines  and  marched  forty- 
five  miles  in  one  day,  reaching  and  crossing  the  Potomac  the  following 
night. 

Reorganizing,  it  re-entered  Virginia  and  participated  in  the  disastrous 
campaign  under  General  Pope,  who  was  operating  under  Major- General 
McClellan.  Recrossing  the  Potomac  into  Maryland,  in  pursuit  of  Lee's  forces, 
it  received  a  number  of  recruits  and  was  assigned  to  the  Twelfth  Army  Corps 
under  General  Slocum,  and  took  part  in  the  various  campaigns  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  until  the  fall  of  1863,  when  the  Eleventh  and  Twelth  Army 
Corps  were  transferred  to  the  southwestern  department  and  formed  the 
Twentieth  Army  Corps,  under  General  Hooker. 

In  1864  the  regiment  re-enlisted  and  joined  the  army  of  Sherman  near 
Chattanooga,  and  afterward  took  part  in  all  the  campaigns  in  Georgia  and 
the  Carolinas,  including  the  memorable  march  to  the  sea.  Besides  numerous 
skirmishes,  the  regiment  participated  in  the  following  engagements:  Winches- 
ter, Virginia,  March  23,  1862,  and  May  25  following:  Cedar  mountain,  same 
state,  August  9,  1862;  Chantilly,  Virginia,  September  i,  1862;  Chancellors- 
ville,  Virginia,  May  i,  2  and  3,  1863;  Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania,  July  i  to  3, 
1863;  Resaca,  Georgia,  May  13  to  15,  1864;  Cassville,  Georgia,  May  19, 
following;  Dallas,  same  state.  May  25;  Lost  mountain,  June  15;  Kenesaw 
mountain,  June  17;  Kulp's  farm,  Georgia,  June  22;  Peach  Tree  creek,  July, 
20;  siege  of  Atlanta,  August,  1864;  Monteith  station,  December,  following; 
Savannah,  Georgia,  same  month;  Chesterfield  Court  House,  South  Carolina, 
February,  1 865 ;  Averysboro,  North  Carolina,  March  16,  1865;  Bentonville. 
same  state,  March  19;  and  a  portion  of  the  regiment  also  took  part  in  the 
severe  fight   at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  under  General  Thomas. 

The  regiment  finally  took  part  in  the  great  review  at  Washington,  D.  C. , 
as  the  culmination  of  the  nation's  joy  at  the  victorious  close  of  one  of  the 
greatest  and  bloodiest  wars  in  the  history  of  the  world. 

At  the  time  the  regiment  veteranized  in  1864,  and  Mr.  Stewart  arrived 
at  his  home  in  Danbury,  Connecticut,  the  citizens  subscribed  for  a  fine 
sword  and  presented  it  to  Mr.  Stewart  in  token  of  their  appreciation  of  his 


912  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

character  as  a  soldier.  Upon  his  return  to  the  front  he  took  it  with  him  and 
continued  with  renewed  encouragement  to  do  his  full  duty  as  a  defender  of 
the  Union,  and  in  such  a  manner  that  his  fellow  citizens  could  have  no  cause 
for  regret  that  they  had  made  the  gift.  Mr.  Stewart  actually  used  the  sword 
and  he  still  retains  possession  of  it,  and  it  shows  the  service  in  which  it  has 
been  employed. 

During  the  engagement  at  Kulp's  Farm,  June  22,  1864,  Mr.  Stewart 
was  wounded  in  the  hip  by  a  musket  ball,  which  he  still  carries.  He  was 
sent  to  the  hospital  at  Lookout  mountain,  where  the  surgeon  insisted  upon 
amputation;  but  he  refused  to  have  the  operation  performed,  and  before  his 
wound  had  healed  he  made  his  way  to  Chattanooga  to  rejoin  his  regiment. 
He  traveled  thither  with  the  aid  of  a  crutch  and  a  cane,  but  on  reaching  his 
destination  he  was  not  allowed  to  rejoin  his  command,  and  he  fell  back  to 
Nashville,  taking  part  in  the  hard-fought  engagement  there.  On  the  third 
day  of  the  battle  he  was  again  wounded  in  the  same  leg  that  had  been 
injured  before,  the  ball  striking  him  above  the  ankle.  He  fell  from  his  horse, 
but  while  his  comrades  were  carrying  him  to  the  rear  he  prevailed  upon  them 
to  return  to  their  position  in  the  line  of  battle.  After  investigating  the 
nature  of  his  wound  he  determined  to  remount  and  enter  the  engagement, 
which  he  did,  fighting  until  hostilities  had  ceased  at  that  point. 

At  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville  he  had  been  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
second  lieutenant;  subsequently  was  made  first  lieutenant,  and  returned 
home  as  captain  of  company  A,  the  command  with  which  he  had  gone  to  the 
front.  At  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville  he  had  the  shark-skin  cut  off  the 
handle  of  his  swordby  a  bullet,  but  he  escaped  personal  injury  there.  In 
the  same  engagement  he  was  taken  prisoner,  but  managed  to  get  away  from 
his  captors,  who  were  busy  dodging  Union  bullets,  and  after  several  thriUing 
escapes  he  made  his  way  through  our  picket  lines  to  his  regiment.  For 
meritorious  conduct  at  Gettysburg,  he  and  two  other  officers  and  four  enlisted 
men  were  granted  furloughs  to  go  to  their  homes,  and  carried  with  them 
their  regimental  colors,  which  Captain  Stewart  had  the  honor  of  presenting 
to  Governor  Buckingham,  of  Connecticut,  who  received  them  with  much 
feehng.  After  a  long  and  faithful  service  the  Captain  was  mustered  out  at 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  and  returned  home  with  a 
military  record  of  which  he  may  be  justly  proud. 

Locating  in  Danbury,  Connecticut,  he  became  engaged  as  a  machinist 
in  experimenting  upon  sewing-machines  adapted  for  special  lines  of  work. 
He  also  worked  at  the  hatter's  trade  for  a  time  there,  and  in  1867  came  to 
Yonkers,  where  he  was  employed  by  the  John  T.  Waring  Hat  Manufacturing 
Company.  He  was  later  with  the  firm  of  Waring  &  Belknap,  and  then 
spent  twelve  years  in  manufacturing  hats  on  his  own  account  as  a  partner  in 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  913-, 

the  Yonkers  Hat  Manufacturing  Company,  located  on  Chicken  island.  He 
was  a  trustee  of  that  company  and  superintendent  of  one  of  its  depart- 
ments. Business  was  carried  on  in  Yonkers  until  1894,  when  their  plant 
was  largely  destroyed  by  fire  and  they  removed  to  Peekskill,  where  opera- 
tions were  resumed  under  the  style  of  the  Peekskill  Hat  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, of  which  corporation  Mr.  Stewart  has  since  been  president,  and  is  also- 
manager  of  the  plant  by  virtue  of  being  the  heaviest  stockholder.  Employ- 
ment is  furnished  to  about  three  hundred  operatives,  and  all  kinds  of  soft 
hats,  tourist  and  alpine  hats  are  manufactured.  They  have  a  daily  capacity 
of  four  hundred  dozen,  and  while  the  factory  is  not  the  largest  in  the  coun- 
try, it  is  unsurpassed  for  its  superior  equipments  of  machinery,  as  well  as  for 
the  skill  of  its  employes.  The  plant  is  equipped  almost  entirely  with  new 
machinery,  much  of  which  is  of  Mr.  Stewart's  own  patents.  The  ground! 
covered  by  the  factory  comprises  seven  acres. 

The  Captain  is  a  man  of  marked  business  ability,  executive  force  and 
inventive  genius,  and  he  carries  forward  to  successful  completion  whatever 
he  undertakes.  He  is  president  of  the  John  Stewart  Machine  Company,  of 
New  York  city,  manufacturers  of  all  kinds  of  special  sewing-machines.  He 
is  also  vice-president  and  a  director  in  the  Metallic  Trace  Company,  and  is 
the  author  of  many  patented  inventions.  The  United  States  government  had 
on  exhibition  at  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  the  first  sewing-machine 
models  for  banding  hats,  exhibiting  the  inventions  of  Mr.  Stewart,  without 
his  solicitation,  and  at  the  Atlanta  Exposition  he  had  two  original  special 
sewing-machine  models  for  sewing  the  leather  in  hats, — a  work  which  was. 
formerly  done  by  hand.  All  of  these  were  of  his  invention,  and  in  connec- 
tion with  George  Peene,  of  Yonkers,  he  invented  a  brake  for  a  hand  truck. 
He  has  many  other  important  inventions  used  on  sewing-machines,  and  his 
labors  have  largely  revolutionized  methods  of  sewing. 

Mr.  Stewart  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Charity  Mosher,  a  daughter 
of  Daniel  Mosher,  of  Poughkeepsie,  and  they  have  two  children,  James  D. 
and  George  Thomas,  both  of  whom  are  associated  with  their  father  in  busi- 
ness. They  maintain  their  home  in  Yonkers,  where  they  have  many  warm 
friends.  In  politics,  Captain  Stewart  has  always  been  a  stalwart  Repub- 
lican and  formerly  took  an  active  part  in  political  work,  but  has  never  sought 
or  desired  public  office.  He  is  a  member  of  Union  Lodge,  No.  40,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  of  Danbury,  Connecticut,  was  at  one  time  active  in  promoting  the  Yonk- 
ers Debating  Society  for  young  people,  and  at  all  times  has  been  deeply 
interested  in  every  movement  or  measure  calculated  to  advance  the  general, 
welfare,  prosperity  and  happiness  of  the  city.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was 
a  member  of  the  board  of  managers  of  the  St.  John's  Riverside  Hospital,  of 
Yonkers.     He  was  a  charter  member  of  Retching  Post,  No.  60,  G.  A.  R. ,  of 

58 


■914  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Yonkers,  also  a  charter  member  of  John  C.  Fremont  Post,  No.  590,  and  thus 
maintains  pleasant  relations  with  his  old  army  comrades.  At  the  dedication 
of  the  soldiers'  monument  in  Yonkers,  September  17,  1891,  John  C.  Fremont 
Post,  No.  590,  G.  A.  R. ,  entertained  several  of  the  visiting  Grand  Army 
posts.  After  the  ceremonies,  when  the  comrades  sat  down  for  lunch, 
instead  of  the  usual  fare  of  hard-tack,  sandwiches  and  coffee,  they  were 
agreeably  surprised  to  find  a  regular  course  dinner  furnished  by  a  celebrated 
New  York  caterer.  It  is  needless  to  add  that  they  were  surprised  and  appre- 
ciated the  change.  Mr.  Stewart,  our  subject,  was  the  chairman  of  the  enter- 
tainment committee. 

Mr.  Stewart  has  delivered  a  series  of  lectures  on  General  Banks'  cam- 
paign in  the  Shenandoah  valley,  and  his  vivid  and  well-worded  descriptions 
of  the  movements  of  the  army  proved  of  especial  interest  to  his  auditors. 
For  thirty-two  years  he  has  participated  in  the  business  life  of  Westchester 
'County,  and  during  that  entire  time  has  so  conducted  all  affairs  entrusted  to 
ihim  as  to  merit  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  entire  community,  and  no 
■word  of  censure  has  ever  been  uttered  against  his  actions. 


PETER  SHERIDAN. 


A  literal  "builder"  of  the  beautiful  city  of  Mount  Vernon,  and  one  of  its 
reliable  and  efficient  business  factors,  is  the  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this 
article.  He  was  born  in  this  city,  May  20,  1855,  a  son  of  Peter  and  Matilda 
(McNight)  Sheridan,  educated  in  the  public  schools  here,  but  was  obliged  to 
■quit  the  halls  of  learning  at  an  early  age  and  be  thrown  upon  his  own 
resources  for  a  livelihood.  For  seven  years  he  was  employed  upon  a  farm, 
when  he  began  taking  a  few  contracts  for  sewer  construction  and  street  pav- 
ing. His  business  grew  upon  his  hands  until  he  has  become  one  of  the  lead- 
ing contractors  in  his  line  in  the  city.  He  has  probably  contracted  for  more 
street  work  than  any  other  man  in  Mount  Vernon,  and  certainly  has  done 
more  macadamizing  of  streets  than  other  party..  He  is  the  proprietor  of  the 
Sheridan  Hotel  on  Fourth  avenue,  and  also  of  other  valuable  real-estate  in 
this  city.  He  is  a  thoroughly  self-made  man,  a  substantial  business  man, 
and   one  of  the  most  reliable  contractors  in  the  place. 

Politically,  he  is  an  active  Democrat,  has  been  street  commissioner  of 
Mount  Vernon,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Niagara  Fire  Company  and  of  the 
Improved  Order  of  Red  Men. 

In  1877  he  was  married  to  Margaret  Casey,  of  Mount  Vernon,  and 
they  have  seven  children, — Mary,  Emma,  Everett,  Samuel,  Joseph,  John  and 
William. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  915 


ZIBA  CARPENTER. 


The  proprietor  of  the  Carpenter  House  at  White  Plains,  the  gentleman 
whose  name  appears  above,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Harrison,  this  county, 
February  6,  1834,  and  was  the  son  of  Isaac  W.  and  Amy  (Ackerman)  Car- 
penter. His  father,  also  born  in  the  town  of  Harrison,  was  a  drover,  dealer 
in  live  stock,  farmer  and  a  general  business  man.  His  wife,  a  native  of 
Westchester  county,  was  a  daughter  of  William  Ackerman.  John  Carpenter, 
a  grandfather,  was  also  born  in  Harrison,  was  a  wheelwright  by  trade  and 
interested  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  married  Mary  Webber,  of  an  old 
Westchester  county  family,  and  they  had  twelve  children.  Her  brother, 
Dayton  Webber,  served  one  term  as  sheriff  of  Westchester  county.  The 
Carpenter  family  originated  in  Wales. 

Mr.  Ziba  Carpenter,  in  his  youth,  was  educated  at  the  common  schools 
of  the  town  of  Harrison,  remaining  with  his  parents  upon  the  farm  until  he 
was  sixteen  years  old,  when  he  began  to  assist  his  father  in  the  live-stock 
business.  Arriving  at  his  majority  he  went  to  New  York  city,  where  he  con- 
ducted a  meat  market  for  a  time;  next  he  became  a  salesman  for  Henry 
Ward,  of  One  Hundred  and  Forty-ninth  street,  that  city,  and  remained  in 
his  employ  for  several  years;  the  ensuing  six  years  he  was  a  passenger  con- 
ductor on  the  Harlem  River  Railroad;  next  he  became  proprietor  of  the  Cen- 
tral Hotel  at  West  Albany,  New  York,  where  he  built  up  a  large  business  and 
made  money;  selling  out  this  property,  he  moved  to  White  Plains,  purchased 
the  Orawaupun  Hotel  and  conducted  that  for  three  years;  then,  in  1873,  he 
was  elected  sheriff  of  Westchester  county,  for  the  term  of  three  years,  being 
nominated  on  the  Republican  ticket  against  John  Bussin  on  the  Democratic, 
and  although  the  county  was  strongly  Democratic  in  general  Mr.  Carpenter 
was  chosen  by  a  handsome  majority. 

In  1879  Mr.  Carpenter  kept  the  Westchester  House  on  Forty-second 
street,  New  York  city,  the  hotel  occupying  a  part  of  the  ground  which  is  now 
the  site  of  the  Grand  Union  Hotel.  For  a  time  he  also  kept  the  Franklin 
House  at  Tarrytown,  New  York.  In  1870  he  came  to  White  Plains  and  pur- 
chased the  Carpenter  House,  which  he  has  conducted  to  the  present  time,  as 
one  of  the  principal  hotels  at  the  county  seat.  His  long  experience  in  cater- 
ing to  the  public  in  the  capacity  of  a  host  enables  him  to  keep  in  the  front 
rank  as  a  hotel-keeper,  and  his  popularity  in  this  respect  insures  him  a  per- 
manent patronage. 

He  has  been  married  twice,  first,  in  1857,  to  Miss  Caroline  Sniffen,  of 
the  town  of  Harrison,  this  county,  and  she  died,  leaving  four  children,  viz.: 
Caroline  M. ,  wife  of  Frank  White;  Lottie,  at  her  parental  home;  Elmer  E., 
and  Kate,  wife  of  James  Andrews.     Secondly,  Mr.  Carpenter  was  united  in 


916  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

marriage  with  Miss  Lenord,  of  Port  Chester,  New  York,  and  by  this  marriage 
there  are  two  children,  namely:  Jessie  and  George  L. 

In  1 891  Mr.  Carpenter  was  nominated,  on  the  Republican  ticket,  as  a 
candidate  for  county  clerk,  and  was  defeated  by  John  M.  Digney,  a  Dem- 
ocrat. 

The  above  list  of  items,  according  to  the  rough  outline  to  which  we  are 
confined,  brings  the  history  of  the  life  of  our  subject  up  to  date;  but  it  is  cer- 
tain that  if  he  lives  longer  a  more  marked  career  will  characterize  his  useful 
and  honorable  life. 

WILLIAM  N.   FERRIS. 

In  the  death  of  Willian  Nelson  Ferris,  Mount  Vernon  and  Westchester 
county  lost  one  of  their  most  prominent  and  highly  respected  citizens.  As 
the  day,  with  its  morning  of  hope  and  promise,  its  noontide  of  activity,  its  eve- 
ning of  completed  and  successful  efforts,  ending  in  the  grateful  rest  and  quite 
of  the  night,  so  was  the  life  of  this  honored  man.  His  career  was  a  long, 
busy  and  useful  one.  But  although  an  earnest  business  man,  devoting  his 
whole  daily  time  and  attention  to  the  further  development  of  his  commercial 
interests,  he  never  allowed  the  pursuit  of  wealth  to  warp  his  kindly  nature, 
being  to  the  end  of  his  life  a  kindly,  genial  friend  and  gentleman  with  whom 
it  was  a  pleasure  to  meet  and  converse.  He  attained  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety-five  years,  and  at  the  end  of  a  long,  honorable  and  useful  life  passed, 
to  the  home  beyond. 

He  was  born  in  Tarrytown,  New  York,  January  23,  1804,  and  was  con- 
nected with  one  of  the  old  historic  families  of  the  state.  His  paternal  grand- 
father resided  at  White  Plains  while  the  war  of  the  Revolution  was  in  prog- 
ress, and  suffered  heavy  losses,  his  stock  and  personal  property  being  con- 
fiscated by  the  opposing  forces.  One  of  his  sisters  married  William  Popham, 
son  of  the  noted  Colonel  Popham,  of  Revolutionary  fame.  The  parents  of 
our  subject  were  Richard  and  Winnifred  (Purdy)  Ferris.  The  father  was  a 
boat-builder  by  occupation  and  constructed  the  celebrated  privateer  "Hor- 
net." He  resided  in  Tarrytown,  New  York  city  and  White  Plains,  dying  at 
the  last  named  place  when  he  was  about  seventy-five  years  of  age.  He 
served  under  General  Harrison  during  the  Revolution,  having  the  rank  of 
first  lieutenant,  and  subsequently  he  aided  his  country  by  valiant  service  in 
the  war  of  18 12,  in  which  two  of  his  sons,  Elijah  and  Jacob,  also  manifested 
a  spirit  of  marked  patriotism. 

The  parents  of  William  N.  Ferris  were  very  poor  and  when  a  child  of 
five  years  he  ran  away  from  home.  He  went  to  his  uncle,  William  Purdy, 
at  White  Plains,  and  remained  as  a  member  of  his  household  for  seven  years. 
He   had   entered  into  an   agreement  to   work   for  this   uncle  until   he   had. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  917 

attained  his  majority,  but  as  he  could  not  obtain  from  his  senior  a  written 
paper  stating  the  terms  of  the  contract,  he  ran  away  from  him  at  the  age  of 
twelve  years.  It  had  been  verbally  agreed  between  them  that  the  youth 
should  be  given  twenty  acres  of  land,  a  horse,  saddle  and  bridle-  and  a  suit  of 
clothes  when  he  reached  manhood,  but  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  again 
started  out  alone,  and  making  his  way  to  New  York  city  secured  employ- 
ment as  errand  boy  at  the  celebrated  old  hostelry,  Bull's  Head,  where  he 
remained,  however,  only  a  few  weeks.  He  then  began  learning  the  tailor's 
trade  and  spent  two  years  in  mastering  the  business,  becoming  an  expert 
workman.  The  fascination  of  lite  on  the  high  seas,  however,  appealing  very 
strongly  to  him,  he  and  another  lad  shipped  aboard  the  "  Jane,"  a  privateer- 
ing vessel,  for  a  four-years  cruise  in  the  smuggling  business.  Numerous  thrill- 
ling  experiences  and  a  number  of  narrow  escapes  characterized  this  period  of 
his  life,  but  the  ship  on  which  he  sailed  met  success  in  every  hazardous  ven- 
ture in  which  she  engaged.  At  last  Mr.  Ferris  landed  in  Philadelphia, 
whence  he  journeyed  by  rail  to  South  Amboy,  New  Jersey,  and  there  went 
aboard  the  ill-fated  Aetna,  which,  on  the  voyage  to  New  York  city,  was 
blown  up,  four  hundred  of  her  passengers  being  killed  and  injured.  Young 
Ferris,  as  usual,  seemed  to  bear  a  charmed  life,  and  escaped  unhurt.  After- 
ward he  served  for  two  years  with  Commodore  Porter's  squadron,  in  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  He  was  assigned  to  the  brig  Bainbridge,  one  of  the  largest 
ships  in  the  fleet,  joining  it  at  Fort  Morgan,  on  Mobile  bay.  This  squadron 
was  detailed  by  the  government  to  clear  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  of  pirates,  and 
this  task  was  successfully  accomplished  in  about  two  years.  On  the  same 
mission  Mr.  Ferris  visited  ports  in  Cuba  and  various  European  and  Asiatic 
ports. 

When  his  service  for  the  government  had  been  concluded  he  resumed 
the  quiet  life  of  a  tailor  in  New  York  city,  and  devoted  his  energies  earnestly 
and  untiringly  to  the  prosecution  of  his  chosen  calling.  He  was  also  engaged 
in  the  teaming  and  transporting  business  for  a  score  of  years  in  the  metrop- 
olis, but  finally  disposed  of  his  interests  there  and  invested  his  money  else- 
where. Having  purchased  fifteen  acres  of  land  of  Charles  Archer,  of  Mount 
Vernon,  he  sold  three  acres  of  the  tract  some  fifteen  months  later,  receiving 
therefor  twenty-three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  He  then  erected  a  substan- 
tial residence  on  the  remainder  of  his  property,  but  disposed  of  it  several 
years  later  to  Mr.  Barnes,  president  of  the  Atlantic  Insurance  Company,  of 
New  York.  Returning  to  the  city,  Mr.  Ferris  resided  there  for  a  few  years, 
and  then  purchased  two  tracts  of  land  in  Mount  Vernon,  where  he  has  since 
made  his  home  until  his  death.  He  there  resided  for  over  three  decades, 
and  although  he  reached  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-five  years  he  enjoyed 
good  health  in  his  old  age  and  was  active   and   ambitious,  looking  after  his 


918  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

business  investments,  not  caring  to  relegate  his  affairs  entirely  to  others. 
He  was  truly  a  remarkable  character,  and  when  nearing  the  century  mark  put 
to  shame  many  a  man  of  half  his  years  who,  grown  weary  of  the  struggles 
of  business  life,  rests  from  his  labors,  content  with  little  or  nothing  for  old 
age.  His  early  life  was  replete  with  incident  and  adventure,  and  his  spirited 
accounts  of  these  enriched  his  conversation  and  made  him  a  very  entertain- 
ing companion. 

Mr.  Ferris  married  Miss  Rice,  and  for  the  long  period  of  sixty-five  years 
they  pursued  the  journey  of  life  together,  sharing  with  each  other  its  joys  and 
sorrows.  Mrs.  Ferris  was  a  devoted  wife  and  mother,  and  all  who  knew  her 
loved  and  admired  her  for  her  sweet  womanly  qualities.  She  was  summoned 
to  her  final  rest  January  31,  1893,  when  she  had  attained  the  ripe  age  of 
eighty-seven  and  a  half  years.  Of  the  five  children  born  to  this  worthy 
couple,  two,  Mary  and  James,  are  deceased,  and  John,  Sarah  and  Fannie 
survive.  The  daughter  remained  at  home  and  with  kind  and  filial  devotion 
cared  for  her  father  until  he,  too,  passed  from  the  scene  of  earth's  activities. 


CAPTAIN  ALFRED  NUSKEY. 

Among  the  most  prominent  and  esteemed  citizens  of  Sing  Sing  is  Cap- 
tain Nuskey,  who  is  accorded  the  veneration  and  respect  which  should  ever 
accompany  old  age.  He  has  passed  the  eighty-fourth  milestone  on  the  jour- 
ney of  life  and  has  made  for  himself  a  record  which  is  worthy  of  all  com- 
mendation, being  the  account  of  a  life  faithful  to  every  duty,  honest  at  all 
times  and  loyal  to  every  trust.  He  is  now  living  retired,  but  for  many  years 
was  prominently  identified  with  the  business  and  military  interests  of  this 
locality. 

He  was  born  August  2,  1815,  in  New  York  city,  a  son  of  Rinard  and 
Elizabeth  (Lewis)  Nuskey.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Baker  Nuskey,  was  a 
native  of  Poland  and  a  very  scholarly  gentleman  who  made  school-teaching 
his  profession.  He  had  one  son  and  two  daughters,  one  of  the  latter  being 
Mrs.  Greene.  The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  hatter  by  trade  and  for  many 
years  resided  in  Brooklyn,  but  died  in  New  York  city.  His  family  num- 
bered two  sons  and  three  daughters,  namely:  John,  Alfred,  Mrs.  Eliza 
Greene  and  two  who  died  in  infancy.  The  father  passed  away  when  about 
sixty-five  or  seventy  years  of  age. 

In  the  public  schools  near  his  home  Captain  Nuskey  acquired  his  edu- 
cation, which  has  been  largely  supplemented  by  the  knowledge  gained  in  the 
practical  affairs  of  life.  He  was  only  nine  years  of  age  when  bound  out  to 
a  farmer,  but  not  liking  his  occupation  he  ran  away,  coming  to  Sing  Sing, 
where  he  has  since  lived.      He  worked  at  the   mason's  trade  for  a  time  and 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  919 

then  entered  the  employ  of  the  Brandreth  Medicine,  Company,  with  which 
he  was  connected  throughout  the  remainder  of  his  active  business  career. 
He  was  twenty-four  years  of  age  when  he  sought  and  obtained  employment 
in  their  grinding  department,  and  for  fifty-eight  years  he  remained  with  the 
firm,  acting  as  their  foreman  for  half  a  century.  What  higher  testimonial 
of  faithful  service  could  be  given  than  the  fact  of  his  long  continuance  with 
one  house.'  He  had  the  implicit  confidence  of  the  company  and  not  a  little 
of  their  success  was  directly  attributable  to  his  well  directed  efforts  and  capa- 
ble management.  Realizing  this  fact,  in  1897  the  company  retired  Captain 
Nuskey  upon  full  pay  and  thus  he  is  enabled  to  spend  his  declining  years  in 
the  enjoyment  of  a  rest  which  he  has  truly  earned  and  richly  deserves.  He 
had  direct  charge  of  the  manufacturing  department,  and  had  thirty-seven 
men  under  his  personal  supervision.  He  was  alike  popular  with  employers 
and  employes,  and  enjoyed  the  high  regard  of  the  patrons  of  the  company. 

Captain  Nuskey  was  also  very  promment  and  active  in  military  circles,- 
being  for  twenty-one  years  in  the  military  service  of  the  state  as  a  member 
of  the  Eighteenth  Regiment,  Seventh  Brigade,  Lockwood  Guards,  under 
command  of  Colonel  Ryder.  He  enlisted  as  a  private,  but  after  three 
months  was  made  a  non-commissioned  officer,  and  a  year  later  was  elected 
second  lieutenant.  When  eight  more  months  had  passed  he  was  made  first 
lieutenant  and  by  his  next  promotion  was  made  captain.  He  took  a  very 
active  part  in  military  affairs,  and  was  justly  proud  of  the  proficiency  which 
his  company  attained.  His  command  was  called  out  on  various  occasions 
of  local  disturbances  requiring  military  power,  and  at  the  time  of  the  civil 
war  he  organized  a  company  of  eighty  men  for  service  at  the  front,  but  was 
persuaded  by  his  employer.  Dr.  Brandreth,  to  remain  at  home.  How- 
ever, he  rendered  important  service  at  the  prison  in  Sing  Sing,  doing  guard 
duty.  He  became  very  proficient  as  a  tactician  and  was  widely  known  in 
military  circles. 

Captain  Nuskey  married  Sarah  A.  Tillottston,  a  daughter  of  William 
Tillottston,  and  to  them  were  born  six  children.  Catherine,  the  oldest,  be- 
came the  wife  of  Hubert  Knapp,  of  New  York  city,  who  died  in  that  city  in 
1889.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  took  an  active 
part  in  its  work  and  was  an  earnest  Christian  gentleman.  In  his  family 
were  four  children,  but  only  one  is  now  living, — William  Richardson, — who 
is  a  naturalist  or  osteologist,  and  has  one  child,  Esther  Mary.  Granville  B., 
the  eldest  son  of  Captain  Nuskey,  was  engaged  in  the  painting  business  in  Sing 
Smg,  but  is  now  deceased.  Clorinda  was  the  next  of  the  family.  Rachel  is 
the  wife  of  Aaron  Ward,  a  carpenter  of  Sing  Sing.  Eliza  is  the  wife  of  A. 
H.  Tompkins.  Emma  A.  died  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  and  William 
died  in  infancy.     The  mother  of  these  children  died  December  15,  1887,  at 


920  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  She  was  a  consistent  and  faithful  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  her  death  was  mourned  by  all  who  knew 
her.  In  an  obituary  notice  appeared  the  following:  "Mrs.  Nuskey  was  a 
Christian  lady  of  sober,  calculating  intelligence  and  refined  manner.  She 
was  a  devoted,  exemplary  mother,  an  affectionate,  true  wife.  For  years  she 
was  the  female  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school,  treasurer  of  the  Ladies' 
Aid  Society  and  president  of  the  Ladies'  Camp  Meeting  Association.  Her 
death  was  a  heroic  triumph  and  peaceful  departure,  worthy  of  a  devoted 
Christian  life." 

Captain  Nuskey  was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  and  for  fifty-eight  years  has  been  a  loyal  and  leading  member 
of  the  Methodist  church,  in  which  he  has  served  as  trustee,  class-leader  and 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school.  Almost  his  entire  life  has  been  passed 
in  Sing  Sing  and  he  is  to-day  one  of  its  most  popular  citizens,  honored  for 
his  fidelity  to  principle,  the  truth  and  the  right,  esteemed  for  his  genial  man- 
ner and  loved  for  his  many  admirable  qualities. 


JAMES  A.  THORNE. 


James  A.  Thorne,  a  prosperous  farmer  and  one  of  the  most  influential 
and  substantial  men  of  the  county,  was  born  in  Putnam  county,  New  York, 
October  2,  1825.  His  parents.  Green  and  Sarah  (Anderson)  Thorne,  now 
deceased,  were  both  natives  of  Putnam  county.  His  grandfather,  Samuel 
Thorne,  came  to  this  state  from  Long  Island  and  was  a  farmer,  as  were  his 
parents.  They  were  Democrats  in  early  life,  but  afterward  affiliated  with 
the  Republican  party. 

James  A.  Thorne  is  the  only  survivor  in  a  family  of  four  children,  Gra- 
ham, Gilbert  and  Emalinda  having  entered  their  long  sleep.  He  was  reared 
on  his  father's  farm  and  educated  in  the  public  schools.  He  early  developed 
an  aptitude  for  farming,  which  was  but  natural,  as  he  had  come  from  a  fam- 
ily who  in  their  occupation  were  then  as  now,  wedded  to  the  soil,  and  were 
among  the  substantial  farmers  of  their  time.  When  twenty-five  years  of  age, 
he  purchased  a  tract  of  land  in  his  native  county,  and  started  in  business  for 
himself.  In  1871  became  to  Westchester  county  and  purchased  two  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  in  Somers  township,  to  which  he  afterward  added  forty 
acres,  making  him  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  were 
devoted  to  general  farming  purposes.  About  three  years  ago  the  New  York 
City  Water  Shed  Company  condemned  about  twenty-eight  acres  of  his  land 
upon  which  his  home  was  situated.  These  buildings  they  destroyed,  leaving 
Mr.  Thorne  without  a  home,  and  keeping  him  out  of  the  money  due  him  on 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  921 

the  land  and  buildings,  which  has  practically  driven  him  from  his  own  prop- 
erty to  seek  shelter  elsewhere. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Matilda  Strong,  daughter  of  John  Strong,  and  a 
native  of  this  county.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  a 
most  worthy,  kind-hearted  lady.  She  died  in  the  fall  of  1893,  leaving  four 
children,  namely:  Sarah  Ella,  wife  of  Caleb  Green,  deceased;  James  I.,  a 
farmer  of  Somers  township;  Jerrard,  deceased;  and  Nelson  S.,  also  a  farmer  of 
this  township.  The  oldest  son,  James  I.,  is  justice  of  the  peace  of  his  town- 
ship, while  the  youngest.  Nelson,  was  elected  collector  of  Somers  township 
for  1896-7.  Both  sons  are  Republicans,  as  is  their  father,  and  all  take  an 
active  interest  in  the  success  of  their  party.  Nelson,  especially,  being  one  of 
the  most  prominent  young  politicians  in  this  part  of  the  county.  Nelson 
S.  Thorne  was  united  in  the  holy  bonds  of  matrimony  to  Miss  Maggie  Dick- 
son, a  daughter  of  John  and  Julia  (Robin)  Dickson,  of  Brooklyn,  at  which 
place  she  was  born.     They  have  one  child,  Ellsworth. 


WORTHINGTON  WHITEHOUSE. 

Worthington  Whitehouse  is  a  gentleman  of  culture  and  inherited  wealth, 
a  student  of  the  best  schools  of  this  country  and  Europe,  and  a  descendant 
of  an  old  and  highly  respected  family.  He  is  a  native  of  Westchester  county, 
New  York,  and  the  son  of  Edward  M.  and  Amelia  Stuart  (Worthington) 
Whitehouse,  both  natives  of  New  York  city.  The  paternal  grandfather, 
Edward  Whitehouse,  married  Julia  Commaren,  and  was  one  of  three  broth- 
ers— Edward,  John  and  Henry  Whitehouse — who  came  to  America  from 
England.  The  Worthingtons  trace  their  ancestry  back  to  1632,  when  a 
branch  of  the  family  came  from  York,  Yorkshire,  England,  and  made  their 
home  at  Colchester,  Massachusetts.  The  maternal  .  grandfather,  Henry 
Worthington,  was  a  son  of  Asa  Worthington,  of  Irvington.  He  married 
Sarah  Newton,  a  daughter  of  Commodore  John  Thomas  Newton,  of  the 
United  States  Navy. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edward  M.  Whitehouse  were  the  parents  of  two  sons: 
Worthington,  the  subject  of  this  biography,  and  Edward,  deceased,  whose 
only  child,  Edwina,  survives  him.  Among  her  ancestors  was  one  Martling, 
who  was  noted  for  his  bravery  in  the  French  and  Indian  wars  and  whose 
body  reposes  in  the  old  Dutch  cemetery  at  Elmsford,  within  a  half  mile  of 
the  Worthington  farm.  This  farm  is  still  in  the  possession  of  the  mother, 
who,  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  contracted  a  second  alliance,  this  time 
with  Thomas  Whiteside  Rae,  of  the  United  States  Navy.  Mr.  Rae  is  also 
deceased  and  his  widow  resides  on  the  farm  with  her  .sons,  Worthington 
Whitehouse  and  Izard   Newton   Whiteside   Rae.     The  farm   is  situated  in 


922  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

the  town  of  Greenburg,  this  county,  and  contains  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
five  acres  of  fine  land,  well  improved  and  provided  with  a  large,  roomy  resi- 
dence, with  beautiful  surroundings.  Near  by,  on  a  suitable  elevation,  is  the 
Worthington  Memorial  church,  a  fine  stone  edifice  erected  by  the  grand- 
mother, Mrs.  Sarah  Worthington,  in  memory  of  Henry  Rasstler  Worth- 
ington. 

Worthington  Whitehouse  received  his  education  in  New  York  city,  tak- 
ing a  course  in  St.  John's  school,  that  city,  and  then  went  abroad  to  com- 
plete hrs  studies.  He  spent  three  years  in  travel,  visiting  Africa  and  many 
other  places  of  interest.  He  then  returned  to  his  native  land  and  accepted 
a  clerical  position  with  W.  Lanman  Bull,  banker,  remaining  with  him  three 
years.  He  then  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business  with  E.  L.  Hall,  and 
later  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Mills,  the  firm  being  known  as  Mills  & 
Whitehouse.  This  partnership  was  dissolved  and  the  firm  is  now  White- 
house  &  Porter,  his  partner,  Clarence  Porter,  being  an  only  surviving  son  of 
General  Horace  Porter,  ambassador  to  France.  This  firm  is  located  at  509 
Fifth  street.  New  York,  and  is  well  and  favorably  known  as  straightforward 
and  trustworthy.  Mr.  Whitehouse  is  of  social  and  pleasure-loving  disposi- 
tion, as  well  as  an  energetic  business  man,  and  is  a  member  of  a  number  of 
social  organizations.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knickerbocker  Club,  the  Metro- 
politan, Tennis,  and  the  Traspell  Clubs  of  New  York  city,  and  is  prominent 
in  the  Knollwood  Country  Club  and  the  Casino  Club  of  Westchester  county. 
He  is  an  admirer  of  blooded  horses,  and  is  the  owner  of  some  very  fine  dogs 
of  the  Great  Dane  and  Dachshund  breeds.  He  is  quite  a  sportsman,  an 
adept  with  rod  and  gun,  and  a  favorite  spot  in  which  to  take  recreation  is  at 
his  fishing  camp  at  Millsite  Lake,  near  the  St.  Lawrence  river. 


SAMUEL  HALL,  M.  D. 


Dr.  Samuel  Hall,  who  owns  an  attractive  country  home  at  Milton  Pointy 
Westchester  county,  is  one  of  the  honored  old  physicians  of  the  Empire  state. 
His  life  has  been,  in  a  special  and  peculiar  sense,  devoted  to  the  alleviation 
of  sickness  and  suffering,  and  rich  and  poor  have  been  ably  administered  to 
by  him,  without  discrimination  in  regard  to  rank  or  station.  He  has  always 
realized  to  the  full  the  nobleness  of  his  mission  and  has  never  hesitated  to 
give  his  services  where  duty  and  humanity  called,  though  by  so  doing  his  own 
interests  were  often  sacrificed. 

The  Doctor  was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York,  October  5,  18 19,  his 
birthplace  being  on  what  was  then  known  as  Pump  street — one  of  the  most 
aristocratic  localities  of  the  metropolis,  but  now  sadly  changed  and  going 
under  the  name  of  Walker  street.      His  father,  Joseph  Hall,  was  a  native  of 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  923- 

the  northern  part  of  Ireland,  a  Protestant  and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  He  came  to  America  when  a  young  man,  in  1810,  and  took  up  his 
abode  in  the  great  eastern  metropolis.  By  untiring  energy  and  industry  he 
amassed  a  comfortable  little  fortune,  and  was  a  man  of  influence  in  the  com- 
munity for  a  number  of  years  prior  to  his  death.  He  was  a  patriot,  serving 
in  the  war  of  18 12,  and  early  identified  himself  with  the  Whig  party.  His 
death,  which  occurred  when  he  was  about  three-score  years  and  ten,  was  the 
result  of  a  fall. 

In  his  youth  Dr.  Hall  attended  private  schools  in  his  native  city,  as  at 
that  day  the  public  schools  amounted  to  but  little.  In  1843  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  New  York  and 
at  once  entered  upon  the  practice  in  New  York  city.  At  the  end  of 
two  years  he  went  to  Dublin,  Ireland,  where  he  pursued  a  special 
course  of  study  for  a  year  or  more,  and  then,  returning  home,  he  resumed 
his  interrupted  practice,  and  was  subsequently  appointed  physician  in  the 
city  dispensary.  He  continued  actively  engaged  in  professional  work  until 
1873,  when  he  retired  to  private  life.  In  one  sense,  however,  the  Doctor 
has  never  given  up  public  work,  for  he  has  never  lost  his  deep  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  his  fellows,  and  has  given  much  of  his  time  and  means  for  years  to 
various  charitable  and  public  enterprises.  He  was  one  of  the  original  found- 
ers of  the  Academy  of  Medicine,  which  was  established  in  New  York  city  in 
1847,  and  is  one  of  the  four  surviving  incorporators  of  that  well  known  insti- 
tution, which,  as  it  is  conceded,  has  played  a  very  important  part  in  the 
medical  world  in  the  past  half  century. 

In  1861  his  love  for  his  country  led  Dr.  Hall  to  leave  his  large  and 
remunerative  practice  in  New  York,  in  order  to  volunteer  his  services  as  a  sur- 
geon. This  was  early  in  the  war,  before  the  medical  staff  had  been  enlarged  to 
the  necessary  proportions  for  properly  attending  to  the  wounded  and  suffering 
soldiers.  Dr.  Hall  went  to  the  front  after  several  of  the  great  and  disastrous 
battles,  when  he  knew  surgeons  would  be  in  demand,  and  cheerfully  gave  his 
aid  to  those  who  needed  his  ministry.  In  recognition  of  his  heroic  work  and 
unselfish  devotion  to  the  poor  boys  who  "  wore  the  blue"  he  was  granted  a 
commission  as  major.  For  many  years  he  was  accounted  one  of  the  leading 
and  representative  physicians  of  New  York  city;  he  is  one  of  the  trustees  of 
the  American  Savings  Bank  of  New  York  city;  for  one  term  acted  as  park 
commissioner,  and  was  one  of  the  Brooklyn  bridge  commissioners.  In  1877 
he  served  as  trustee  and  secretary,  and  was  appointed  consulting  surgeon,  for 
over  twenty  years,  of  the  Northern  Dispensary,  and  in  1887  was  president  of 
that  institution,  serving  in  that  capacity  for  one  year.  Was  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  the  Society  for  the  Benefit  of  Widows  and  Orphans  of  Medical  Men. 
Religiously  he  is  a  Presbyterian,  as  was  his  father  before  him.     Though  now 


-924  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

in  his  eightieth  year,  he  is  hale  and  hearty,  bidding  fair  to  hve  to  enjoy  a 
score  more  of  years.  His  genial,  kindly  disposition  makes  him  a  general 
favorite,  and  his  friends  are  indeed  legion.  During  the  winter  months  he 
spends  his  time  in  the  city,  where  the  major  portion  of  his  life  has  been 
passed,  and  in  the  summer  he  enjoys  a  season  of  quiet,  amid  the  beauties  of 
nature,  at  his  pleasant  country  home  at  Milton's  Point,  New  York. 


JOHN  G.  PEENE. 


John  G.  Peene,  capitalist,  farmer  and  president  of  a  transportation  com- 
pany, has  for  many  years  been  a  prominent  factor  in  the  business  and  public 
interests  of  Yonkers.  He  was  born  in  this  city  on  the  23d  of  February, 
1843,  and  is  a  son  of  Captain  Joseph  and  Caroline  (Garrison)  Peene.  The 
father  was  for  many  years  closely  connected  with  the  business  of  river  navi- 
gation. He  was  born  in  the  village  of  Lydd,  Kent,  England,  where  his 
father,  Joseph  Peene,  was  also  born  and  where  the  family  had  lived  for 
many  generations.  From  a  very  early  age  he  followed  the  sea,  and  his  first 
visit  to  America  was  made  as  a  sailor  on  a  passenger  vessel  which  landed  in 
New  York  in  1834.  The  following  year  he  again  came  to  the  shores  of  the 
New  World,  and  resolved  to  make  his  home  in  the  United  States.  Accord- 
ingly he  secured  employment  on  a  sloop  and  in  1839  began  boating  from 
Yonkers,  which  was  the  beginning  of  the  extensive  transportation  business 
now  carried  on  by  the  well  known  firm  of  Peene  Brothers.  With  the  pass- 
ing years  his  patronage  increased  and  he  enlarged  his  facilities  until  he  was 
at  the  head  of  the  Benjamin  Franklin  Transportation  Company.  He  con- 
tinued his  active  connection  with  the  business  until  1873,  when  he  retired, 
being  succeeded  by  his  three  sons,^ — John  G.,  Joseph  and  George, — who  have 
since  been  associated  with  the  management  of  the  transportation  line  under 
the  firm  name  of  Peene  Brothers. 

Captain  Joseph  Peene  was  married  to  Miss  Caroline  Garrison,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Captain  John  Garrison.  She  is  descended  from  one  of  the  old  families 
of  Holland.  Her  grandfather,  Garrett  Garrison,  was  a  native  of  Holland  and 
married  a  Miss  Fowler.  He  founded  the  family  in  America,  and  his  son, 
John  Garrison,  was  born  and  reared  in  Yonkers,  where  he  became  a  promi- 
nent and  influential  citizen  and  a  successful  business  man,  largely  interested 
in  sloops  and  other  boats  plying  on  the  Hudson  river  between  Yonkers  and 
New  York  city.  He  married  Sarah  Fowler  and  among  their  children  was 
Caroline,  who  became  the  wife  of  Captain  Joseph  Peene.  By  this  marriage 
were  born  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters:  John  G. ;  Joseph; 
George;  William,  deceased;  Emma,  wife  of  Thomas  Moore,  a  resident  of 
Yonkers;    Mary  A.,    wife   of  Benjamin    W.    Stillwell;    and    Katie,   wife    of 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  925- 

George  Farnham,  a  resident  of  Saratoga,  New  York.  The  father  of  these 
children  died  in  March,  1897,  but  their  mother  is  still  living  and  is  now  in 
her  seventy-sixth  year.  He  was  for  many  years  a  leading  citizen  of  Yonkers,, 
and  while  not  a  politician  in  the  common  acceptation  of  the  term  he  served 
for  several  years  as  police  commissioner  and  street  commissioner,  discharg- 
ing his  duties  with  marked  promptness  and  fidelity.  He  was  for  many  years 
a  member  and  officer  in  the  Reformed  church  at  Yonkers,  and  was  always 
most  liberal  in  his  support  of  every  measure  calculated  to  advance  the  gen- 
eral welfare.  He  started  out  in  life  a  poor  boy,  but  by  determined  purpose, 
laudable  ambition  and  indefatigable  energy,  he  attained  a  position  among  the 
substantial  citizens  of  Yonkers  and  was  enabled  to  surround  his  family  not 
only  with  the  necessities  but  also  many  of  the  luxuries  of  life.  In  1870  he 
erected  a  beautiful  residence  on  Warburton  avenue,  and  his  last  years  were 
spent  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  well  earned  rest  in  the  home  that  his  labors  had 
procured. 

John  G.  Peene  spent  his  boyhood  days  under  the  parental  roof  and 
acquired  his  literary  education  in  the  public  schools.  Diversified  experiences 
in  the  affairs  of  life,  keen  observation  and  a  retentive  memory  have  also 
greatly  added  to  his  fund  of  knowledge,  bringing  him  that  practical  wisdom 
so  essential  in  the  business  world.  When  only  fourteen  years  of  age  he 
began  earning  his  own  livelihood,  being  employed  as  cook  on  a  boat  running, 
on  the  Hudson  river.  Later  he  was  engaged  in  the  draying  business  for  two 
years, — a  foreshadowing  of  his  extensive  and  profitable  transportation  busi- 
ness of  the  present  day.  In  1863  he  joined  the  Union  army  in  the  capacity 
of  quartermaster,  and,  returning  to  Yonkers  on  the  close  of  hostilities,  he- 
became  connected  with  a  transfer  company  of  this  city.  Subsequently, 
however,  he  became  interested  in  river  transportation,  and  in  1873,  in  con- 
nection with  his  brothers,  Joseph  and  George,  succeeded  to  the  business- 
established  by  his  father.  He  is  now  president  of  the  company,  and  thus  in 
control  of  a  very  extensive  enterprise.  The  brothers  have  added  to  the  line 
the  lighter  City  of  Yonkers,  the  steamer  Caroline  A.  Peene,  named  in  honor 
of  their  mother,  the  barge  Hudson  River  and  the  tugboat  Frank  A.  Sears. 
These  boats  all  make  daily  trips  to  New  York  city,  the  Caroline  A.  Peene 
with  passengers  and  freight  and  the  others  with  freight  alone.  They  carry 
many  hundreds  of  tons  of  freight  each  week,  transporting  all  the  products 
of  the  Yonkers  factories,  markets  and  stores.  The  business  is  very  large 
and  profitable,  and  the  members  of  the  company  exert  a  commanding  influ- 
ence in  commercial  circles  in  this  city. 

In  1873  John  G.  Peene  was  appointed  harbor  master  of  New  York  city, 
which  position  he  filled  with  ability.  He  is  a  man  of  marked  enterprise,  and 
his  sound  judgment  and  keen  discrimination  have  been   important  factors  in- 


926  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

carrying  forward  to  successful  completion  whatever  he  undertakes.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  duties  in  connection  with  the  transportation  company,  he  superin- 
tends the  operation  of  an  extensive  farm.  In  i8go  Mr.  Peene  purchased  what 
was  known  as  the  Washington  Hill  farm,  now  known  as  Heather  Bell.  The 
place  then  comprised  seventy-eight  acres  of  land,  but  from  time  to  time  he 
has  extended  its  boundaries  until  his  possessions  now  aggregate  two  hundred 
and  twenty  acres, — a  valuable  property, — from  which  he  derives  a  handsome 
income.  The  place  is  supplied  with  large  and  substantial  barns  for  the 
shelter  of  his  stock,  and  all  the  conveniences  and  accessories  of  the  model 
farm  are  there  found.  Most  of  the  land  is  seeded  down  to  grass  and  the 
verdant  meadows  afford  ample  pasturage  for  cattle  and  horses.  He  keeps 
on  hand  about  forty  milch  cows,  high  grades  of  the  Jersey,  Holstein  and 
Guernsey  breeds,  and  is  doing  an  excellent  dairy  business.  He  also  raises 
many  fine  horses,  noted  for  their  beauty,  grace  and  speed.  Mr.  Peene  is 
very  fond  of  the  noble  steed  and  takes  great  delight  in  driving  a  fine  team. 
The  home  of  Mr.  Peene  is  a  palatial  residence,  surrounded  by  magnifi- 
cent shade-trees  and  an  extensive  and  well  kept  lawn.  In  the  affairs  of  the 
city  he  has  taken  an  active  and  commendable  interest,  doing  all  in  his  power 
to  advance  the  welfare  and  public  progress.  For  four  years  he  served  as 
mayor  and  his  administration  witnessed  many  needed  reforms  and  the  intro- 
duction of  some  very  beneficial  improvements.  In  business  he  sustains  an 
unassailable  reputation  and  for  his  success  he  certainly  deserves  great  credit. 
Starting  out  in  life  empty-handed,  he  steadily  worked  his  way  upward  and 
by  his  enterprise,  indefatigable  energy,  strong  resolution  and  laudable  ambi- 
tion has  won  a  handsome  property  which  classes  him  among  the  capitalists 
of  Yonkers. 

HARVEY  HUSTED. 

Harvey  Husted,  court  stenographer  and  one  of  the  leading  and  represent- 
ative citizens  of  White  Plains,  New  York,  is  a  native  of  Westchester  county, 
born  at  Tarrytown,  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  river,  July  12,  1854,  and  is 
a  son  of  Nathan  W.  and  Amenia  (Palmer)  Husted.  The  birth  of  his  father 
occurred  in  the  same  county  in  1823,  and  there  he  engaged  in  business  as  a 
merchant  tailor  for  over  forty  years.  In  his  political  affiliations  he  was  a 
stanch  Democrat,  and  for  two  years  he  served  as  supervisor  of  his  town. 
Our  subject's  paternal  grandfather  was  Samuel  Husted,  also  a  native  of 
Westchester  county  and  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  the  great-grandfather 
was  Nathaniel  Husted.  Robert  Husted  was  the  founder  of  the  family  in 
America,  having  emigrated  to  this  country  from  England  about  the  year 
1630.  On  the  maternal  side  our  subject's  grandparents  are  Harvey  and 
Phebe  (Husted)  Palmer,  the  former  also  a  native  of  Westchester  county.     It 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  927 

-will  thus  be  seen  that  the  family  has  been  identified  with  the  history  of  this 
county  from  its  earliest  settlements,  and  they  have  always  been  numbered 
among  its  most  valued  and  useful  citizens. 

Reared  in  Tarrytown,  Harvey  Husted  obtained  his  early  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  that  place,  and  finished  his  literary  training  in  the  acad- 
emy there.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  entered  his  father's  store  and  continued 
with  him  for  four  years,  during  which  time  he  commenced  the  study  of  ste- 
nography, devoting  all  his  spare  moments  in  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  that 
art.  His  father,  thinking  he  was  wasting  his  time,  often  requested  him  to 
lay  it  aside,  as  in  his  judgment  it  would  be  of  no  service  to  him;  but  on  step- 
ping into  an  office  in  New  York  city  one  day,  he  asked  what  they  were  pay- 
ing a  good  stenographer  a  year,  and  the  reply  was  from  two  to  five  thousand 
dollars !  Returning  home  he  told  his  son  that  he  was  willing  he  should 
proceed  with  his  studies,  and  our  subject  therefore  continued  until  he  had 
completed  the  course.  When  the  court  stenographer  resigned  in  1876  he 
was  appointed  by  the  court  to  fill  the  vacancy,  and  on  the  expiration  of  the 
term  was  re-appointed  by  Hon.  J.  O.  Dykman,  continuing  in  the  position  up 
to  the  present  time,  —  a  period  of  over  twenty  years.  He  is  also  a  director 
of  the  Home  Savings  Bank  of  White  Plains.  His  aim  in  life  has  always 
been  to  attain  the  best,  and  he  has  carried  forward  to  successful  completion 
whatever  he  has  undertaken.  The  thoroughness  and  persistency  with  which 
he  applied  himself  while  learning  stenography  has  characterized  his  entire 
career,  and  has  been  supplemented  by  a  careful  attention  to  details  and  by 
honorable,  straightforward  effort,  that  has  gained  him  a  most  excellent  and 
enviable  reputation.  For  the  past  twelve  years  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  board  of  education  at  White  Plains  and  is  treasurer  of  the  same. 

Mr.  Husted  married  Miss  Caddie  L.  Greene,  a  native  of  Tarrytown, 
New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  H.  Greene.  They  had  two  daugh- 
ters and  one  son,  of  whom  two  are  now  living:  Edwin  Warren,  aged  eleven 
years,  and  Mabel  G.  For  his  second  wife,  Mr.  Husted  married  Miss  G.  C. 
Huestis,  a  daughter  of  William  H.  Huestis,  and  to  them  have  been  born  two 
children, — Evellyn  G.  and  Francis. 


JAMES  D.  TALLEY. 

One  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  Mount  Vernon,  Westchester  county,  is 
James  Dunham  Talley,  now  president  of  the  local  board  of  civil-service  com- 
missioners. He  is  very  active  and  influential  in  the  councils  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  of  this  section,  is  a  great  worker  in  the  local  fire  department  and 
stands  well  in  various  fraternal  and  social  orders.  Though  he  has  made  his 
,home  here  only  for  the   past   four   years   he  is  well  known  and  thoroughly 


928  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

respected  by  a  large  and  ever  widening  circle  of  acquaintances  and  friends^ 
comprising  some  oT  our  best  citizens. 

A  son  of  Hartley  and  Catherine  Ann  (Dunham)  Talley,  our  subject  was 
born  in  New  York  city  December  3,  1848.  He  was  deprived  of  the  watch- 
ful love  and  guidance  of  his  father  when  but  five  years  of  age,  and  thence- 
forth grew  up  under  the  tender  care  of  his  widowed  mother,  whose  death 
occurred  June  30,  1894,  when  she  was  seventy  one  years  of  age.  She  was 
of  English  descent,  and  for  several  generations  her  forefathers  were  residents 
of  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey.  Bartley  Talley  was  likewise  a  native  of 
that  town,  and  was  a  ship  carpenter  by  trade,  which  calling  he  followed  in 
New  York  city  from  1845  until  his  death,  November  4,  1853,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-nine  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Junior  Order  of  United 
American  Mechanics  and  was  also  an  Odd  Fellow.  He  left  three  sons  and 
one  daughter,  namely:  Alexander  S.,  James  D.,  Charles  E.  and  Catherine 
Ann. 

J.  D.  Talley  acquired  a  liberal  education  in  the  public  schools  of  New 
York  city,  and  when  in  his  sixteenth  year  he  entered  a  printing-office.  Aft- 
erward he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  being  successfully  employed  in  that 
vocation  in  the  metropolis  for  some  fourteen  years.  Since  then  he  has  held 
a  position  as  foreman  in  a  line  of  mechanical  work  in  New  York,  and  is  con- 
sidered an  honorable,  efficient,  upright  man,  thoroughly  understanding  his 
business  and  conscientious  in  the  performance  of  his  duties.  During  the  war 
of  the  Rebellion  he  was  of  service  in  the  Union  army  as  an  assistant  to  a 
surgeon,  for  he  was  too  young  to  enter  the  regular  military  service  as  he 
desired.  At  present  he  is  the  foreman  of  the  Central  Hose  Company  of 
Mount  Vernon,  having  acted  in  this  capacity  for  four  years,  an  active  and 
reliable  member  of  the  fire  department.  In  this  connection  he  is  identified 
with  the  Firemen's  Benevolent  Association  of  Mount  Vernon,  and  the  Boss 
Truck  Association.  In  the  Masonic  order  he  belongs  to  Hiawatha  Lodge,. 
F.  &  A.  M. ;  Mount  Zion  Chapter,  No.  231,  R.  A.  M. ;  and  is  also  a  member 
of  the  O.  D.  O.  For  some  time  he  has  been  financially  interested  in  the 
Home  Building  &  Loan  Association. 

April  27,  1882,  Mr.  Talley  married  Miss  Catherine  E.  Carr,  a  daughter 
of  John  W.  Carr,  of  New  York  city. 


F.   S.   COOK. 


The  gentleman  to  a  brief  review  of  whose  life  we  now  direct  attention — 
F.  S.  Cook — is  the  third  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Campbell)  Cook,  and  was 
born  at  Newark,  New  Jersey,  April  15,  1855. 

Tracing  the  agnatic  line,  we   find   him   descended   from    Holland  and 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  929 

French  ancestors,  and  the  name  was  formerly  Koch.  His  great-great-grand- 
father, Heinrich  Koch,  came  to  America  in  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  He  had  three  sons, — Barnabas,  Henry  and  Michael, — who  changed 
the  spelling  from  Koch  to  Cook.  One  of  these  sons  settled  in  the  western 
part  of  New  York  state,  another  in  the  upper  Hudson  river  country,  and 
Henry,  great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  settled  in  what  is  now  Caldwell, 
New  Jersey.  He  married  Yanakee  Peer,  who  was  of  French  descent,  and 
among  their  children  was  a  son,  Isaac,  grandfather  of  F.  S.,  who  married 
Mary  Spier,  of  Spiertown,  New  Jersey.  He  was  a  farmer,  a  justice  of  the 
peace  and  in  politics  a  Whig,  and  was  prominent  in  the  public  affairs  of  Cald- 
well.     He  died  at  Newark. 

His  family  comprised  six  children,  among  whom  was  Thomas,  the  father 
of  our  subject,  born  near  Caldwell,  New  Jersey,  in  1821.  Thomas  Cook 
became  a  merchant  at  Newark,  New  Jersey,  and  was  also  extensively  engaged 
for  many  years  in  railroad  contracting.  He  built  a  section  of  the  Erie  Rail- 
road, running  through  Orange,  NeW  York.  As  a  merchant  he  dealt  in  jew- 
elers' supplies  and  other  goods,  and  ran  a  line  of  schooners  along  the  Jersey 
coast.  He  subsequently  became  engaged  in  developing  and  improving  the 
southern  part  of  the  city  of  Newark,  which  occupied  his  time  until  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  civil  war.  When  war  was  inaugurated  he  desired  to  enlist  his 
services  for  his  country,  but  could  not  on  account  of  disability.  For  a  time, 
however,  he  was  on  hospital  duty  and  rendered  valued  service.  During  the 
war  he  moved  with  his  family  to  Susquehanna,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was 
occupied  in  developing  farm  and  mill  property.  He  subsequently  also  devel- 
oped a  timber  tract  in  New  Hampshire.  He  died  in  1894,  at  Yonkers,  New 
York,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  In  politics  he  was  in  early  life  a 
Whig  and  later  independent.  He  believed  in  prohibition  and  was  an  earnest 
temperance  worker. 

On  his  mother's  side,  Mr.  Cook  is  descended  from  North-of-Ireland 
stock,  the  Campbells;  also  in  his  maternal  ancestry  is  found  a  strain  of  French 
blood.  Great-grandfather  Campbell  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  His 
wife  was  by  maiden  name  Mary  Day.  His  grandfather,  a  Mr.  McDermott, 
was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  181 2.  Mr.  Cook's  mother's  people  at  one  time 
resided  upon  and  owned  the  present  site  of  Morristown,  New  Jersey,  and 
figured  prominently  in  the  history  of  that  town,  among  them  being  Judge 
Reynolds,  a  veteran  of  the  civil  war  and  a  member  of  the  New  Jersey  leg- 
islature. 

Of  the  four  sons  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Cook,  we  record  that  all  of  them 

studied  civil  engineering  and  followed  it  for  a  profession,  one,  however,  leav- 

iv  it  for  the  profession  of  law,  which  he  followed  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

The  eldest  son,  Thomas  V.,  served  in  the  Thirty-ninth   New   Jersey   Volun- 

59 


930  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

teer  Regiment  during  the  latter  part  of  the  war  of  the  Rebelhon.  One  of 
the  daughters,  M.  Emma  Van  Arsdale,  is  a  landscape  painter  of  considerable 
talent,  a  pupil  of  the  celebrated  painter  Gifford,  and  resides  at  Plainfield, 
New  Jersey. 

F.  S.  Cook,  the  direct  subject  of  this  article,  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Newark,  New  Jersey,  and  after  their  removal, 
as  above  recorded,  to  Pennsylvania,  he  continued  his  studies  in  private 
schools,  thus  preparing  himself  for  entering  Cornell  University,  in  1871.  On 
account  of  the  panic  of  1873,  however,  he  was  compelled  to  abandon  his 
cherished  hope,  that  of  completing  a  college  course,  and  his  studies  were 
carried  forward  under  the  instructions  of  a  private  tutor.  In  this  way  he 
fitted  himself  for  civil  engineering.  He  has  during  the  twenty-seven  years  in 
which  he  has  been  engaged  in  this  profession  been  associated  with  some  of 
the  best  known  and  most  celebrated  engineers  in  the  country,  which  associa- 
tion has  afforded  him  excellent  opportunities  for  advancement  in  his  profes- 
sion. During  this  time  he  has  been  engaged  upon  some  of  the  most  difficult 
and  important  contracts  on  public  works  of  various  kinds  that  have  been 
prosecuted,  some  of  which  are  as  follows:  Construction  of  the  Jersey  City 
water  works,  laying  out  of  streets  and  other  public  improvements  in  that  city, 
and  construction  of  the  New  Jersey  Midland  Railroad,  and  some  of  the  coal 
roads  in  Pennsylvania,  and  other  improvements, — all  previous  to  1877.  He 
assisted  in  the  construction  of  the  New  York  Elevated  Railroad,  in  1877  and 
1878;  construction  of  the  New  York,  West  Shore  &  Buffalo  and  New  York, 
Ontario  &  Western,  besides  numerous  private  enterprises  during  the  same 
time.  Since  1 884  he  has  been  engaged  upon  the  construction  of  the  New  York 
water  works,  Croton  dam,  aqueducts  and  reservoirs.  He  is  also  now  engaged 
on  the  Panama  Railroad  designs,  in  which  he  was  associated  with  the  eminent 
Captain  James  B.  Hades,  of  Mississippi  river  fame,  and  E.  L.  Corthell, 
Walter  Catty  and  A.  Fletty.  In  addition  to  the  public  works  above  referred 
to  Mr.  Cook  has  laid  out  a  great  deal  of  real  estate,  covering,  perhaps,  more 
than  two  thousand  acres  in  Westchester  county,  New  York,  into  plats  and 
building  sites,  much  of  the  work  in  his  own  town  and  locality  being  done 
by  him. 

Mr.  Cook  was  married  in  1881  to  Miss  Josephine  S.  Mervin,  daughter 
of  S.  O.  Mervin,  of  Norfolk,  Virginia,  she  being  a  direct  descendant  of  colo- 
nial ancestors.  The  first  of  her  ancestors  to  settle  in  this  country  were  New 
Englanders  and  by  occupation  shipbuilders.  Later  there  was  one  William 
Arnold,  of  Rhode  Island,  a  member  of  her  family,  who  had  a  son,  Benedict, 
who  became  governor  of  Rhode  Island  and  served  in  that  capacity  eight 
years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cook  have  had  four  daughters,  Frederick,  Isabelle, 
Maria  and  Florence,  all  now  living  except  the  last  named. 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  931 

Mr.  Cook  is  a  member  of  the  City  Club  of  Yonkers,  and  politically  he 
is  independent  of  the  great  party  ties.  At  one  time  he  was  a  member  of  a 
military  company.      Religiously  he  is  identified   with  the  Reformed  church. 


GEORGE  E.   SIMONS. 


This  honored  veteran  of  the  civil  war  and  a  leading  citizen  of  Union- 
ville,  Westchester  county,  was  born  in  New  York  city,  October  8,  1843,  and 
is  a  son  of  Malcolm  Simons,  a  native  of  Cheshire,  New  Haven  county,  Con- 
necticut, and  a  carpenter  by  trade.  The  paternal  grandparents  were  of  Irish 
descent,  and  in  their  family  was  one  son,  Thomas  Simons,  who  died  from 
wounds  received  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  while  serving  in  the  Union  army 
during  the  Rebellion.  Malcolm  Simons  wedded  Miss  Mary  Jarie  Vreden- 
burgh,  a  daughter  of  John  Vredenburgh,  who  fought  with  the  American  army 
in  the  Mexican  war.  To  this  worthy  couple  were  born  fourteen  children, 
five  sons  and  nine  daughters. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  in  New  York  city,  and  at  the  age 
of  seventeen  years  he  offered  his  services  to  the  government  to  assist  in  put- 
ting down  the  rebellion,  enlisting  on  the  20th  of  April,  1861,  in  the  Eighth 
New  York  State  Militia.  Receiving  a  gunshot  wound  at  the  battle  of  Bull 
Run,  he  was  honorably  discharged  August  2,  1861,  but  re-enlisted  February 
3,  1862,  this  time  becoming  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Ninth  Penn- 
sylvania Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was  again  discharged,  August  9,  1862,  as 
he  was  wounded  in  the  thigh  and  hip  at  Cedar  mountain;  but  on  the  21st  of 
April,  1864,  he  enlisted  for  the  third  time  and  was  made  second  lieutenant  of 
Company  K,  Fourteenth  Regiment  Veteran  Volunteers.  The  war  being 
ended,  he  was  finally  discharged  October  19,  1865,  and  returned  to  his  home 
with  a  military  record  of  which  he  should  justly  be  proud. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Simons  followed  civil  engineering  in  the  south,  later 
-went  to  Mexico,  and  from  there  to  California  in  1869.  Returning  to  New 
_York  city,  he  worked  at  his  trade  as  a  steel  engraver  for  some  time,  but  in 
1 87 1  went  to  Europe,  visiting  England,  Ireland,  Scotland,  France  and  Ger- 
many. He  also  traveled  in  Asia,  through  China  and  Japan,  and  remained 
abroad  ten  years.  Returning  again  to  New  York  city,  in  1881,  he  worked 
at  his  trade  in  the  employ  of  the  New  York  Bank  Note  Company;  next  he 
spent  some  time  in  the  west  as  a  surveyor  at  Milwaukee,  St.  Paul,  Seattle, 
Washington,  and  Los  Angeles,  California;  then  he  went  to  Washington,  D. 
C,  where  he  served  as  adjutant  at  the  Soldiers'  National  Home  until  1893, 
since  which  time  he  has  made  his  home  in  Westchester  county.  New  York, 
an  honored  and  highly  respected  citizen. 

Mr.  Simons  was  first  married  in  New  York  city  to  Miss  Abigail    Shears, 


932  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

of  Rockland,  Maine,  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Shears,  a  prominent  merchant  of 
that  place,  and  by  this  union  he  had  one  son.  After  the  death  of  the  wife 
and  mother  he  married  Mrs.  Lucretia  (Ryan)  Collier,  a  native  of  Delaware 
county,  Iowa,  and  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Ryan,  a  veteran  of  the  Mexican 
war.  By  her  first  marriage  she  had  two  children, — Celia  and  Earl  Collier. 
While  acting  as  Indian  agent  at  a  point  in  South  Dakota,  a  son  was  born  to 
our  subject,  Valentine  H. 

Mr.  Simons  is  now  a  prominent  member  of  Crowell  Post,  No.  966,  G. 
A.  R.,  at  White  Plains,  New  York,  and  also  belongs  to  Harmony  Lodge,  No. 
17,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Orting,  Washington.  Travel  and  his  social,  genial  nature 
have  made  him  an  entertaining  companion,  and  he  is  a  stanch  and  loyal 
friend,  fond  of  good  fellowship  and  devoted  to  those  who  have  his  confidence. 


SAMUEL  K.   STOUTENBURGH. 

The  common-place  duties  of  daily  life,  trivial  though  they  may  seem  to 
the  casual  observer,  demand  for  their  proper  fulfillment  the  same  admirable 
qualities  of  character  which  in  a  higher  degree  and  under  other  circumstances 
attract  universal  notice  and  approbation.  However  it  may  seem  to  the 
superficial  mind,  our  rural  communities  furnish  an  excellent  field  for  the 
development  of  the  traits  which  go  to  the  making  of  a  good  citizen,  and  one 
purpose  of  this  work  is  the  preservation  of  records  which  show  the  innate 
worth  and  dignity  of  such  a  life.  In  the  long  and  useful  career  of  Mr. 
Stoutenburgh  we  may  learn  many  valuable  lessons. 

A  representative  of  one  of  the  honored  old  families  of  this  state,  he  was 
born  in  Dutchess  county,  February  3,  1816,  a  son  of  Peter  L.  Stoutenburgh 
and  a  grandson  of  Jacobus  Stoutenburgh,  who  was  of  Holland  descent.  The 
latter  married  a  Miss  Teller,  who  was  born  in  Dutchess  county,  of  German 
ancestry,  and  belonged  to  a  family  which  was  founded  on  Long  Island  about 
1720.  Peter  L.  Stoutenburgh  also  was  a  native  of  Dutchess  county,  where 
in  early  life  he  learned  the  tanner's  trade,  and  after  his  removal  to  NewYork_ 
city,  in  1  820,  he  engaged  in  the  shoe  business.  He  married  Permelia  Hart, 
a  native  of  Long  Island,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  eight  children,  one 
of  whom  died  when  young,  while  the  others  reached  years  of  maturity: 
David  is  now  living  in  Norwalk,  Ohio,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years;  Jacob 
F.  is  deceased;  Samuel  K.  is  the  next  in  order  of  birth;  Wright  F.  is 
deceased;  James  is  a  resident  of  Pleasantville,  Westchester  county;  Joseph, 
who  was  a  soldier  of  both  the  Mexican  and  civil  wars,  makes  his  home  in 
Dayton,  Ohio;  Sarah  married  A.  Schenck  and  died  in  Middletown,  Ohio;  and. 
Mary  S.  married  Samuel  C.  Conover  and  died  at  the  same  place.  The  father 
of  these  children  died  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  the  mother  when  of  about  middle 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  933 

age.  Both  were  faithful  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  were  widely  and 
favorably  known,  and  the  father  was  identified  with  the  Whig  party. 

The  subject  of  this  review  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  New  York  city 
and  began  his  business  career  as  a  clerk.  Later  he  was  engaged  in  the  grain 
business  in  the  metropolis  for  some  time,  and  from  there  went  to  Noblesville, 
Indiana,  where  he  was  in  business  as  a  partner  of  his  cousin.  Subsequently 
he  spent  two  years  in  Norwalk,  Ohio,  where  he  had  for  his  neighbors  Gen- 
eral W.  T.  Sherman  and  Charles  Sherman.  Returning  to  the  east  he 
resumed  business  in  New  York  city,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until  1858. 
The  following  four  years  were  devoted  to  trade  in  Armonk,  Westchester 
county,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  purchased  his  present  farm  in  Mount 
Pleasant  township,  to  the  cultivation  and  improvement  of  which  he  has  since 
devoted  his  energies  with  marked  success,  making  it  one  of  the  best  in  the 
locality.  This  beautiful  home  is  well  and  tastefully  furnished,  is  surrounded 
by  spacious  lawns  and  fine  shade-trees,  and  is  situated  on  the  north  shore  of 
Lake  Kensico,  commanding  a  grand  view. 

On  the  30th  of  September,  1862,  Mr.  Stoutenburgh  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Mrs.  Phoebe  S.  (Fisher)  Sands,  an  adopted  daughter  of  Nicholas 
and  Phoebe  Haigh,  the  latter  a  sister  of  her  mother.  She  was  reared  and 
educated  in  New  York  city,  and  on  the  12th  of  February,  1845,  gave  her 
hand  in  marriage  to  Daniel  C.  Sands,  a  native  of  North  Castle  township, 
Westchester  county,  and  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Mary  H.  (Cox)  Sands,  promi- 
nent citizens  of  this  county.  Mr.  Sands  was  a  successful  business  man,  and 
for  some  time  was  engaged  in  the  grocery  trade  in  New  York,  where  he  died 
October  8,  1849.  He  left  two  sons:  Charles  W.  Sands,  who  married  Vir- 
ginia W.  Lane  and  had  one  son,  Charles  W.,  Jr.,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years;  and  Daniel  C.  Sands,  who  married  Martha  Titus  and  has  one 
son,  Daniel  C,  Jr. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Stoutenburgh  is  a  Republican,  and  in  religious 
connection  both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  This 
worthy  couple  take  an  active  interest  in  all  educational,  religious  and  temper- 
ance affairs,  and  do  all  in  their  power  for  the  betterment  of  their  fellow  men. 


BAILY  B.   SEARLES. 


This  well  known  and  enterprising  agriculturist  of  Somers  township  is  a 
native  of  Westchester  county.  New  York,  his  birth  occurring  November  7, 
1854,  in  Bedford  township,  where  his  parents,  Benjamin  B.  and  Caroline  N. 
(Young)  Searles,  are  still  living.  He  was  reared  in  much  the  usual  manner  of 
farmer  boys,  assisting  in  the  labors  of  the  field  and  attending  the  public  schools, 
but  his  early  education  was  supplemented  by  two  terms'  attendance  at  Bedford 


984  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Academy  under  Professor  Sloat.  When  his  school  days  were  over  he  sought 
and  obtained  employment  as  attendant  in  the  Bloomingdale  Asylum,  where 
he  remained  for  eighteen  months.  For  the  following  two  years  he  was  con- 
nected with  the  Yale  &  Towne  Manufacturing  Company  in  Connecticut,  and 
then  returned  to  Bedford  township  and  again  turned  his  atttention  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  remaining  there  until  1888,  since  which  time  he  has  been  a 
resident  of  Somers  township.  He  now  manages  the  property  known  as  the 
old  Brown  farm,  and  is  successfully  engaged  in  general  farming  upon  a  tract 
of  twenty-four  acres  which  he  has  placed  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
The  neat  and  thrifty  appearance  of  the  place  well  indicates  his  careful  super- 
vision and  shows  that  he  thoroughly  understands  the  occupation  he  is  now 
following. 

Mr.  Searles  married  Miss  Alice  Flewellin,  who  was  born  at  Croton  Lake, 
this  county,  January  8,  1855,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Caleb  and  Charlotte  (Put- 
ney) Flewellin.  He  casts  his  ballot  with  the  Republican  party,  and  affili- 
ates with  Yorktown  Lodge,  No.  181,  L  O.  O.  F. ,  in  which  he  is  serving  as 
warden.     By  birthright  he  is  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends. 


CHARLES  H.   LENT. 


Charles  H.  Lent  is  the  well  known  superintendent  of  the  Croton  dam 
water-works  and  is  a  man  well  fitted  for  the  position  he  holds.  In  some 
way  he  has  been  identified  with  the  works  from  the  very  beginning,  having 
previously  held  a  responsible  position  with  the  company's  superintendent  of 
construction  and  also  as  paymaster  for  the  same.  At  one  time  he  was  in  the 
employ  of  Smith  &  Brown,  contractors  on  the  works,  and  on  the  ist  of  Sep- 
tember, 1889,  was  first  appointed  superintendent  under  Mr.  Gilroy,  serving 
as  such  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  best  interests  of  the  company  until 
July,  1895.  On  the  ist  of  July,  1898,  he  was  reinstated  and  is  now  filling 
the  position  in  a  most  capable  and  satisfactory  manner. 

A  native  of  New  York,  Mr.  Lent  was  born  September  i,  1857,  in  Put- 
nam county,  but  belongs  to  an  old  Westchester  family  which  has  been  iden- 
tified with  the  interests  of  this  county  for  a  century  and  a  half  and  is  of  Hol- 
land origin.  The  first  of  the  family  to  come  to  America  settled  first  either 
on  Long  Island  or  in  New  York  city.  Abram  Lent,  our  subject's  grand- 
father, was  a  native  of  Westchester  county,  as  was  also  the  father,  Milton 
G.  Lent,  who  was  born  in  Cortlandt  township  and  was  one  of  the  brave 
defenders  of  the  Union  during  the  civil  war,  being  a  member  of  Company  G, 
Fourth  New  York  Volunteer  Infantry.  Later  he  became  an  honored  mem- 
ber of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  in  his  political  convictions  was 
a  Democrat.      He  married  Miss  Caroline  Cole,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  who 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  935 

is  now  living  at  Brewster,  New  York,  while  he  died  at  Croton  Dam,  in  De- 
cember, 1 89 1,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  In  the  family  of  this  worthy 
couple  were  seven  children, — three  sons  and  four  daughters. 

In  the  public  schools  of  this  state  Charles  H.  Lent  obtained  a  good 
practical  education,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  accepted  a  position  as  book- 
keeper for  F.  E.  Foster,  a  merchant  of  Brewster,  New  York.  Later  he  was 
bookkeeper  and  paymaster  on  the  Lake  Shore  Railroad,  and  in  a  like  capac- 
ity was  with  the  Erie  &  Wyoming  Railroad  at  Scranton,  Pennsylvania,  for 
three  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  became  connected  with  the  water 
works  at  Croton  Dam,  and  has  gradually  worked  his  way  upward  to  his 
present  responsible  position,  his  success  being  the  just  reward  of  his 
fidelity  to  duty,  his  honesty  of  purpose  and  his  good  business  ability.  Politic- 
ally he  is  a  Democrat,  and  is  an  active  and  zealous  worker  for  his 
party's  interests.  Socially  he  is  a  prominent  Mason,  a  member  of  the  blue 
lodge,  chapter  and  commandery,  and  also  Mecca  Temple,  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-five,  Mr.  Lent  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Ida  M.  Hodge,  a  daughter  of  Orson  Hodge  and  a  niece  of  Henry  Barnum, 
formerly  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Van  Amberg  circus  and  manager  of 
Howe's  Great  London  Circus  for  the  United  States.  Mrs.  Lent  was  reared 
and  educated  at  Brewster,  New  York,  and  by  her  marriage  has  become  the 
mother  of  two  children:   Edna  Barnum  and  Alma. 


JAMES  H.  BEDELL. 


There  is  particular  satisfaction  in  reverting  to  the  life  history  of  the  hon- 
ored and  venerable  gentleman  whose  name  initiates  this  review,  since  his 
mind  bears  the  impress  of  the  historical  annals  of  the  state  from  an  early 
day,  and  from  the  fact  that  he  has  been  for  many  years  one  of  the  highly 
respected  citizens  of  Westchester  county.  He  was  born  in  Pleasant  Valley, 
Dutchess  county.  New  York,  February  15,  18 19,  and  is  a  representative  of 
an  old  and  prominent  family  of  that  county,  having  made- their  home  for 
generations  in  Washington  Hollow. 

John  Bedell,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Washington 
Hollow,  conducted  a  hotel  there  for  many  years,  and  spent  his  entire  life  in 
that  vicinity.  He  also  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  in  his  business 
undertakings  met  with  excellent  success.  He  was  one  of  the  most  active  and 
enterprising  men  of  Dutchess  county  in  his  day. 

In  his  large  family  was  Elisha  Bedell,  our  subject's  father,  who  was 
reared  in  Washington  Hollow,  and  there  made  his  home  throughout  the 
greater  part  of  his  life,  always  following  the  occupation  of  farming  and  meet- 


936  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

ing  with  a  well  deserved  success  in  his  labors.  He  was  one  of  the  most  sub- 
stantia] and  reliable  citizens  of  his  community,  was  an  earnest  member  of  the 
Methodist  church,  and  was  a  Whig  in  politics.  His  last  days  were  passed 
in  Pleasant  Valley,  Dutchess  county,  where  he  died  at  about  the  age  of 
sixty-three.  He  married  Miss  Phoebe  German,  a  native  of  Pleasant  Valley, 
who  departed  this  life  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  To  them  were 
born  nine  children,  namely:  Harvey,  a  retired  farmer,  who  died  in  Pough- 
keepsie.  New  York;  James  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Bethia,  deceased 
wife  of  Alonzo  Titus,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York;  Mary,  deceased  wife  of  George 
Firman,  of  Pleasant  Valley;  Elisha,  a  mechanic  residing  in  Verbank,  Dutch- 
ess county;  Sarah,  deceased  wife  of  Alonzo  Titus,  of  Poughkeepsie;  Lewis, 
who  died  in  Verbank;  Alonzo,  a  resident  of  the  town  of  Dover,  Dutchess 
county;  and  Jane,  deceased. 

James  H.  Bedell  was  reared  and  educated  in  Dutchess  county  in  much 
the  usual  manner  of  farmer  boys  of  his  day,  and  throughout  his  active  busi- 
ness career  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  with  marked  success.  On  com- 
ing to  Westchester  county  he  first  located  in  Bedford  township,  where  he 
followed  farming;  later  he  spent  ten  or  twelve  years  in  the  village  of  Bedford; 
from  there  he  removed  to  Mount  Kisco,  but  now  makes  his  home  with  his 
grandson,  Jaines  Henry  Bedell,  of  Poundridge  township.  He  is  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  and  is  a  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  his  life  having  ever  been  such  as  to 
commend  him  to  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  has  come  in 
contact. 

In  1843  Mr.  Bedell  was  married,  in  Dutchess  county,  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Churchill,  a  daughter  of  Van  Austin  and  Elizabeth  Churchill.  She 
was  born  in  Matteawan,  that  county,  in  18 17,  and  died  in  1890.  They 
became  the  parents  of  nine  children,  as  follows:  Isaac,  who  was  a  Union 
soldier  during  the  civil  war,  and  married  Miss  Millicent  E.  Brown,  who  died 
m  1877,  and  he  is  now  managing  engineer  of  a  large  paper-mill  at  Yorktown, 
Pennsylvania;  Edward  is  the  next  of  the  family;  Charles  also  served  in  the 
Union  ranks  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  and  is  now  a  farmer  of  Jamestown, 
Virginia;  Henry,  who  is  a  resident  of  Silver  Mine,  Connecticut,  and  is  a  rep- 
resentative of  the  Connecticut  General  Life  Insurance  Company;  Daniel  W., 
who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years;  three  died  in  infancy;  and  George  is  a  prac- 
tical farmer,  now  managing  the  estate  of  thirty-eight  hundred  acres  at  James- 
town, Virginia. 

James  Henry  Bedell,  our  subject's  grandson,  is  one  of  a  family  of  two 
children,  the  other  being  Edith  E.,  who  married  James  Boyd,  of  Brooklyn, 
New  York,  and  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years.  He  was  born  April  30, 
1865,  in  Brooklyn,  where  he  lived  until  twelve  years  of  age,  and  then  came 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  937 

to  Westchester  county  to  make  his  home  with  his  grandparents  upon  a  farm, 
receiving  such  an  education  as  the  public  schools  afforded.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one  he  took  charge  of  the  John  Jay  farm  near  Katonah,  in  Bedford 
township,  which  he  successfully  managed  for  eighteen  months,  and  for  the 
following  three  years  had  charge  of  another  estate  near  the  Jay  farm.  He 
then  located  on  the  Highland  farm,  now  owned  by  a  Mr.  Judd,  and  conduct- 
ed the  same  for  five  years  as  a  dairy  farm,  wholesaling  the  milk.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  he  settled  upon  his  present  farm  in  Poundridge  township,  which 
he  had  purchased  in  1895,  and  here  he  is  also  engaged  in  dairying.  He  bot- 
tles all  the  milk  and  retails  it  in  Stamford,  Connecticut,  which  is  eight  and  a 
half  miles  from  his  farm.  As  he  could  not  care  for  his  farm  and  look  after 
his  milk  trade,  he  rents  the  place  and  gives  his  entire  attention  to  the  dairy 
business.  He  has  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  under  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion, and  is  meeting  with  a  fair  degree  of  success  in  his  business  affairs. 

He  is  one  of  the  stanch  Republicans  in  the  county,  and  in  1897  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace,  which  position  he  is  now  filling  in  a  most  credit- 
able and  satisfactory  manner.  He  is  master  of  Rippawam  Grange,  No.  145, 
of  Long  Ridge,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Bedford.  In 
1886  he  led  to  the  marriage  altar  Miss  Mary  H.  E.  Williams,  a  daughter  of 
Isaac  D.  and  Sarah  Williams,  and  by  this  union  two  children  have  been 
born, — James  Luquer  and  Bertha  E. 


LEWIS  M.  FISHER. 


Lewis  Morris  Fisher,  an  honored  old  resident  of  North  Castle  township, 
Westchester  county,  is  a  sterling  representative  of  one  of  the  fine  old  fami- 
lies of  this  section  of  the  state.  The  valuable  farm  which  he  owns  and  cul- 
tivates was  the  birth-place  of  his  father  and  grandfather,  and  during  the 
Revolutionary  war  some  of  the  forces  of  General  Washington  were  encamped 
for  a  time  on  these  grounds.  Two  of  the  family  were  soldiers  in  the  colonial 
struggle  for  independence,  and  the  Fishers  were  very  generous  in  providing 
for  the  troops,  dividing  with  them  such  provisions,  clothing  and  supplies  as 
they  possessed.  The  old  homestead  still  retains  traces  of  the  brief  sojourn 
of  the  soldiers  here,  and  is  in  consequence  one  of  the  noted  places  of  the 
county.  Many  of  the  smaller  relics  have  been  carried  away,  but  the  large 
stones  which  they  used  for  fire-places  can  still  be  seen,  here  and  there.  Dur- 
ing their  encampment  here  they  cut  down  about  three  acres  of  forest  for  fire- 
wood, etc. 

William  Fisher,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  and  brought  up  on 
this  farm  and  became  one  of  the  most  respected  citizens  of  this  locality.  He 
was  active  in  all  public  affairs  of  his  community,  and  not  only  occupied  about 


938  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

all  the  township  offices,  but  also  served  as  a  member  of  the  state  assembly 
during  the  sessions  of  1836-7.  He  was  a  man  of  influence  and  authority  in 
his  neighborhood,  and  he  was  frequently  sought  to  settle  up  estates  for  his 
acquaintances  and  friends.  He  was  for  ten  years  a  trustee  in  the  Presbyte- 
rian church,  and  for  fifteen  years  served  in  the  capacity  of  elder.  He  died 
when  in  his  eighty-fifth  year,  and  his  wife  passed  to  her  reward  when  she  was 
eighty-seven.  Mrs.  Fisher  was  a  Miss  Permelia  Cudner  prior  to  her  mar- 
riage, her  family  being  residents  of  Scarsdale  township,  this  county.  Of  the 
eight  children  born  to  William  and  Permelia  Fisher  but  three  now  survive. 
R.  Chauncey  resides  in  White  Plains;  Joseph  A.  lives  on  a  portion  of  the  old 
homestead;  Lewis  M.,  our  subject,  was  the  next  in  order  of  birth;  Arietta 
died  unmarried;  William  Henry  died,  leaving  a  widow;  Albert  died  in  boy- 
hood; Augustus  died  when  four  years  old;  and  one  child  died  in  infancy. 
The  Fisher  family  furnished  two  substitutes  during  the  civil  war,  and  were 
Whigs,  and  later  Republicans,  in  politics. 

Lewis  Morris  Fisher  was  born  here,  March  29,  1839,  and  received  a 
good  education  in  the  public  schools  of  this  vicinity.  He  has  followed  the 
business  of  carpenter  and  builder  for  several  years,  with  success,  and  is  a 
skillful  workman.  He  was  married  in  1887,  and  has  one  child,  Lewis  Ralph, 
born  August  14,  1896.  Mrs.  Fisher  is  a  daughter  of  Ralph  and  Sarah  Ellis, 
the  former  one  of  the  oldest  contractors  on  public  works  in  this  county.  He 
built  a  portion  of  the  brick  and  stone  work  on  the  Croton  aqueduct  and  has 
been  prominently  connected  with  other  great  enterprises  in  eastern  New 
York.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fisher  are  the  happy  possessors  of  a  beautiful  home 
situated  in  a  pleasant  spot,  and  surrounded  by  well-kept  lawns,  dotted  with 
flower-beds  and  shaded  with  fine  old  shade-trees.  The  homestead  which  he 
owns  and  cultivates  is  a  place  of  twenty-five  acres,  and  from  some  points  the 
Sound  can  be  plainly  seen  in  the  distance.  Mr.  Fisher  has  always  been  very 
active  in  church  work  and  for  years  he  has  been  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school.  Like  a  loyal  citizen  he 
takes  an  interest  in  public  matters  and  seeks  to  use  his  ballot  in  an  intelligent 
manner,  supporting  only  the  measures  and  nominees  that  best  promise  to 
prove  of  benefit  to  the  general  public.  He  uses  his  franchise  in  favor  of  the 
Republican  party. 

DAVID  N.   HAVILAND. 

David  N.  Haviland  is  one  of  the  commissioners  of  highways  in  Harrison 
township,  Westchester  county.  He  thoroughly  understands  the  duties  of 
this  responsible  position  and  gives  much  of  his  time  to  the  work  of  securing 
better  roadways  for  the  traveling  public.  He  was  chosen  by  his  neighbors 
and  friends  to  fill  this  office  in  1894  arid  in  the  intervening  period  he  has  been 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  939' 

successful  in  njaking  material  improvements  on  the  roads  of  this  section  of 
the  county.  He  is  zealous  in  the  support  of  the  interests  of  the  Democratic 
party  and  has  always  voted  for  the  nominees  and  platform  of  the  organiza- 
tion since  he  received  his  right  oi  franchise. 

From  his  earliest  recollections  our  subject  has  been  closely  associated 
with  the  interests  of  this  township.  He  was  born  here,  in  his  father's  home- 
stead, February  lo,  i860.  His  father.  James  S.  Haviland,  is  a  well  and  favor- 
ably known  citizen  of  this  township.  He,  too,  is  a  native  of  this  locality 
and  has  always  lived  in  this  vicinity.  He  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade  in 
his  youth  and  has  followed  this  calling  during  most  of  his  mature  life.  He 
married  a  Miss  Sarah  A.  Seymour,  of  White  Plains,  and  to  them  were 
born  four  children:  Newberry,  of  Rye  township,  Harvey,  Samuel  and 
David  N. 

From  his  boyhood  D.  N.  Haviland  has  been  accustomed  to  industrious 
labor  and  persevering  toil.  He  was  wisely  initiated  into  the  principles  of 
business  by  his  father  and  is  successful  in  most  of  his  financial  undertakings. 
His  education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  and  since  leaving  his  studies 
he  has  endeavored  to  keep  thoroughly  posted  in  current  events  and  matters 
of  public  importance  by  a  regular  perusal  of  the  leading  books,  newspapers 
and  periodicals  of  the  day.  He  has  turned  his  attention  to  different  lines  of 
business  and  has  met  with  success  in  the  majority  of  his  ventures.  He 
favors  public  improvements  and  reforms  and  is  generally  conceded  to  be  just 
the  right  man  for  the  position  of  road  commissioner.  He  was  married  in  May, 
1890,  to  Miss  Orpha  Harris,  then  living  in  Rye  township,  this  county,  and 
they  have  a  very  pleasant  and  attractive  home,  where  they  enjoy  entertain- 
ing their  numerous  friends. 


JOHN  L.  WEINHEIMER. 

From  German  ancestors  come  some  of  the  most  intelligent,  progressive, 
reliable  and  patriotic  citizens  of  Westchester  county,  for  the  Fatherland  has 
furnished  to  America  a  substantial  element  in  her  citizenship.  The  emigrants 
from  that  country  have  not  only  adapted  themselves  to  their  new  surround- 
ings and  conditions,  but  have  infused  into  American  life  the  resolute  purpose 
and  determined  energy  of  their  countrymen.  From  humble  circumstances 
they  have  worked  their  way  upward  to  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility, 
and  among  this  number  is  Mr.  Weinheimer,  who  is  now  most  capably  and 
satisfactorily  serving  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  North  Castle  township.  He 
was  born  in  Germany,  but  during  his  boyhood  was  brought  to  this  country 
by  his  parents,  who  came  to  America  for  the  purpose  of  giving  their  children 
better  advantages  than  were  afforded  in  the  Old  World.      They  were  good, 


^40  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

honest  and  industrious  people,  and  reared  their  family  to  habits  of  industry 
and  economy.  Our  subject  grew  to  manhood  in  New  York  city  and  obtained 
a  good  education  in  both  his  native  tongue  and  in  English.  For  twelve  years 
he  was  in  the  editorial  room  with  Horace  Greeley,  during  which  time  he  was 
brought  in  close  touch  with  the  great  .editor,  and  from  him  learned  many  of 
the  great  principles  and  truths  that  made  the  name  of  Greeley  a  household 
word  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land.  His  home  and  farm 
are  pleasantly  located  near  Kensico,  and  here  he  dispenses  justice  in  a  man- 
ner worthy  of  a  judge,  and  also  takes  an  active  part  in  public  affairs.  He  is 
widely  known  and  has  many  friends  throughout  the  county. 


MATTHEW    H.   HOLBROOK. 

Matthew  H.  Holbrook,  the  efficient  superintendent  of  the  Croton  Lake 
water  works,  and  a  highly  respected  citizen  of  Yorktown  township,  has  made 
his  home  in  Westchester  county  since  1878.  He  is  a  direct  descendant  of 
one  of  that  little  band  of  Puritans  who  came  to  this  country  in  the  Mayflower, 
and  is  a  son  of  Amariah  and  Helen  M.  (Strong)  Holbrook,  the  latter  a  second 
cousin  of  Grover  Cleveland.  He  was  born  and  reared  in  Washington  county, 
New  York,  and  obtained  a  good  practical  education,  attending  the  public 
schools,  and  later  graduating  at  the  Union  school  and  academy  at  Sandy 
Hill,  New  York,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years. 

Mr.  Holbrook  began  his  business  career  as  a  clerk  in  the  law  office  of 
George  L.  Terry,  of  Sandy  Hill,  where  he  remained  for  three  years,  and 
before  he  had  attained  his  majority  was  appointed  as  one  of  the  guards  at 
the  Sing  Sing  prison,  filling  that  position  very  acceptablj'  for  thirteen  years. 
For  the  following  two  years  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  Sing  Sing,' 
and  on  the  ist  of  July,  1895,  was  appointed  to  his  present  responsible  posi- 
tion, to  which  he  gives  his  entire  attention,  having  supervision  over  seven- 
teen miles  of  water  shed. 

At  Sing  Sing  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Holbrook  and  Miss  Annie 
Griffin,  a  daughter  of  Mrs.  Susan  Griffin,  and  to  them  has  been'  born  one 
son,  Howard,  who  is  now  a  student  in  the  academy  of  Sing  Sing. 

Politically  Mr.  Holbrook  has  always  affiliated  with  the  Republican  party, 
and  has  done  all  in  his  power  to  promote  its  interests  and  insure  its  success. 
He  has  served  as  chairman  of  the  town  committee,  was  a  delegate  to  the 
National  League  at  Saratoga,  and  has  been  a  delegate  to  various  other  con- 
ventions. He  has  always  faithfully  stood  by  his  friends,  and  stands  high  in 
the  estimation  of  the  people  of  the  county.  He  was  appointed  to  his  pres- 
ent position  by  General  Brookfield  and  sustained  by  General  C.  H.  F.  Callis, 
and  has  proved  a  most  capable  and  trustworthy  superintendent.      Socially  he 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  941 

is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  has  passed  all  the  chairs  in  the  latter  fraternity,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Encampment.  He  took  a  most  active  part  in  erecting  and  furnishing 
Sunnyside  Lodge,  at  Sing  Sing.  In  religious  connection  he  is  a  Presbyterian, 
and  for  several  years  he  has  served  as  one  of  the  deacons  of  his  church, 
always  taking  a  leading  and  prominent  part  in  all  church  work. 


HARRY  B.   MILLER. 


There  are  men  in  every  community  of  great  force  of  character  and 
exceptional  ability,  who  by  reason  of  their  capacity  for  leadership  become 
recognized  as  foremost  citizens  and  bear  a  most  important  part  in  the  devel- 
opment and  progress  of  the  locality  with  which  they  are  connected.  Such 
a  man  is  Mr.  Miller,  who  is  prominently  identified  with  the  interests  of 
Cortlandt  township,  Westchester  county. 

He  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  May  20,  i860,  a  son  of 
Charles  A.  and  Fannie  A.  (Stephens)  Miller,  the  latter  a  native  of  Connecti- 
cut and  a  representative  of  one  of  the  old  and  prominent  families  of  that 
state.  The  Miller  family  is  of  English  origin,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  and 
most  distinguished  families  of  Pennsylvania.  Our  subject's  father  was 
prominent  in  both  business  and  political  circles,  being  a  leading  hardware 
merchant  of  Philadelphia  and  a  trustee  of  the  Philadelphia  Gas  Trust.  He 
was  one  of  the  most  influential  members  of  the  Republican  party  in  the 
state,  and  being  an  able  financier  he  was  called  upon  to  serve  as  state  treas- 
urer for  some  years.  He  was  also  connected  with  the  board  of  education 
of  Philadelphia  for  some  time,  and  was  prominently  identified  with  all  things 
pertaining  to  the  good  of  his  city  or  state.  Socially  he  was  an  honored' 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He  died  in  1876,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
two  years,  leaving  two  children:  Harry  B.,  our  subject;  and  Reuben  Manley, 
a  resident  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  who  is  connected  with  the  Provident  Life  & 
Trust  Company,  being  in  the  office  of  his  stepfather,  William  D.  Yerger, 
who  is  general  manager  of  the  company  for  that  district. 

Harry  B.  Miller  spent  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  his  native  state  and 
was  educated  in  private  schools.  In  1878  he  went  west  and  for  two  years 
traveled  extensively  throughout  that  section  of  the  country  as  a  correspond- 
ent of  the  New  York  Herald,  being  with  Major  Thornburg's  command  in 
1879  at  the  Ute  outbreak  in  Montana,  at  Bad  canyon  and  Milk  creek,  where 
they  were  surrounded  and  held  for  some  time  but  were  finally  released  by 
General  Merritt. 

On  his  return  east,  Mr.  Miller  was  married,  at  Asbury  Park,  New  Jersey, 
to   Miss  Bessie   Ferris,  a   daughter  of  Captain  William   S.   and   Martha  J. 


942  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

(Tuttle)  Ferris,  and  one  child  has  come  to  bless  their  union,  a  daughter, 
Martha  Jennett.  They  have  purchased  the  old  Ferris  homestead  in  Cort- 
landt  township,  Westchester  county,  and  our  subject  now  devotes  the  greater 
part  of  his  time  to  its  improvement  and  cultivation.  For  the  past  eight  or 
ten  years  he  has  also  been  engaged  in  the  life-insurance  business,  represent- 
ing the  Provident  Life  &  Trust  Company.  He  takes  considerable  interest 
in  politics,  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  has  served  as  auditor  of  the  town  of 
Cortlandt.  He  is  one  of  the  few  who  fearlessly  advocates  his  principles 
regardless  of  whom  it  may  strike.  Broad-minded  and  liberal  in  his  views,  he 
is  one  of  the  most  enterprising  and  progressive  citizens  of  his  community. 


CHARLES  H.  HORTON. 


Charles  H.  Horton  is  one  of  the  prominent  young  men  of  Tarrytown, 
New  York,  a  leader  in  business  and  political  circles,  and  is  now  most  accept- 
ably serving  as  secretary  of  the  highway  commissioners  at  Mount  Pleasant. 
Whether  in  public  or  private  life,  he  is  always  a  courteous,  genial  gentleman, 
well  deserving  the  high  regard  in  which  he  is  held. 

Mr.  Horton  was  born  in  Tarrytown,  in  1868,  a  son  of  Sylvester  Horton, 
a  well-known  grocer  of  that  place,  who  was  a  member  of  an  old  and  promi- 
nent family  of  Westchester  county.  The  father  died  at  the  age  of  forty-two 
years,  leaving  a  widow  and  six  children,  three  sons  and  three  daughters. 

Reared  in  his  native  place,  Charles  H.  Horton  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  there.  On  laying  aside  his  text-books  he  prepared  himself 
for  contracting  and  building,  and  has  already  met  with  excellent  success  in 
his  chosen  occupation,  many  of  the  public  works  at  Tarrytown  having  been 
constructed  under  his  efficient  supervision.  He  still  lives  on  the  old  home- 
stead, where  he  has  erected  a  fine  modern  residence,  and  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  Lodge  at  Tarrytown.  Perhaps  but  few  young 
men  are  better  known  throughout  the  county  than  Mr.  Horton,  and  he  is 
to-day  one  of  the  most  popular  officials  of  Mount  Pleasant  town.  He  is  a 
leader  in  the  ranks  of  the  local  Republican  organization,  and  possesses  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  all  who  know  him. 


REV.  EUGENE  McKENNA. 

The  loved  and  popular  pastor  of  Saint  Teresa's  Roman  Catholic  church, 
in  Tarrytown,  Westchester  county,  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Though 
he  has  been  located  here  but  three  years  he  has  already  exerted  a  noticeable 
influence  in  many  directions,  greatly  increasing  the  efficiency  of  several  of  the 
departments  of  church  work  and  bringing  thorough  harmony  into  all.      He  is  a 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  943 

man  of  scholarly  attainments,  with  a  mind  refined  and  broadened  by  travel, 
as  well  as  study  and  experience  and  with  a  heart  full  of  love  and  sympathy 
toward  mankind  in  general,  and  his  own  little  flock  of  parishioners  in  par- 
ticular. 

Father  McKenna  is  a  native  of  the  Emerald  Isle,  his  early  recollections 
clustering  around  county  Monaghan,  where  he  passed  his  boyhood.  He  was 
of  a  studious  nature  and  it  was  his  privilege  to  attend  St.  McCarta's  College 
for  several  years.  In  1863  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  entered  St.  Sulpice 
College  in  Montreal,  Canada,  where,  in  course  of  time,  he  was  graduated 
with  honors  and  matriculated  in  Grand  Seminary,  of  the  same  city.  Soon 
afterward  he  was  ordained  by  Bishop  McClosky  and  was  assigned  to  duty  as 
assistant  pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Transfiguration  on  Mott  street.  New 
York  city.  There  he  labored  with  Father  Thomas  Treanor  and  James  H. 
McGean  for  about  five  years,  when  he  was  transferred  to  St.  Mary's  church, 
of  Yonkers,  where  also  he  held  the  office  of  assistant  pastor. 

At  the  close  of  his  service  in  the  last  named  charge  Father  McKenna 
was  so  fortunate  as  to  be  able  to  spend  some  months  in  the  Old  World.  In 
the  course  of  his  extended  travels,  during  which  he  visited  many  of  the  inter- 
esting historic  places  of  several  kingdoms,  he  spent  much  of  his  time  in 
London,  Paris  and  Rome,  and  points  in  Switzerland  and  Ireland.  Return- 
ing to  America  with  renewed  strength  of  mind  and  body  and  fresh  zeal  for 
the  work  of  the  church,  he  was  appointed  priest  of  St.  John's  church,  in 
West  Hurley,  Ulster  county,  and  remained  there  for  nineteen  years.  It  was 
a  matter  of  deep  regret  to  himself  and  congregation,  to  whom  he  had  so  long 
and  faithfully  ministered,  that  it  was  deemed  advisable  for  him  to  be  trans- 
ferred to  a  new  field  of  enterprise,  where  he  seemed  to  be  even  more  needed. 
Thus  it  was  that  he  came  to  his  present  charge  three  years  ago.  The  church 
comprises  a  memberhip  of  four  hundred  families.  There  is  a  school,  con- 
ducted by  Sisters,  in  connection  with  the  church,  and  it  also  is  in  a  proper- 
ous  condition. 

The  parents  of  Rev.  Eugene  McKenna  are  Patrick  and  Margaret 
(Hughes)  McKenna,  natives  of  Ireland,  where  they  passed  their  entire  lives. 
They  were  honest,  industrious  people,  respected  and  highly  esteemed  by  all 
who  knew  them.    ,  ^ 

JOHN  H.  BRIGGS. 
John  H.  Briggs  is  one  of  the  most  esteemed  citizens  of  Tarrytown,  and 
for  many  years  he  has  been  prominently  identified  with  the  leading  business 
interests  of  the  place  as  proprietor  of  a  general  market.  He  is  also  a  veteran 
of  the  civil  war  and  bears  an  honorable  record  for  brave  service  in  the  cause 
of  freedom  and  union,  and  in  the  paths  of  peace  he  has  also  won  an  enviable 


944  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

reputation  through  the  sterling  qualities  which   go   to  the  making  of  a  good 
citizen. 

Mr.  Briggs  is  a  native  of  Westchester  county,  born  August  21,  1842, 
and  is  a  representative  of  an  old  Massachusetts  family,  many  of  whose  mem- 
bers have  been  prominent  in  peace  and  patriotic  in  war.  The  early  home  of 
the  family  was  in  Bedford,  Massachusetts,  from  which  place  the  father  of  our 
subject,  Amos  Briggs,  removed  to  Binghamton,  New  York,  and  later  in  life 
he  became  a  resident  of  Sing  Sing,  Westchester  county.  He  was  a  man  of 
fine  physique,  being  five  feet  eleven  inches  in  height  and  weighing  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-five  pounds.  He  was  also  strong  and  active,  was  a  stone- 
mason by  trade,  and  was  quite  successful  in  his  business  affairs.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Lovice  Reynolds,  who  belonged  to  a  well-known  and  prominent 
family  of  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts,  which  was  founded  in  this  country  by 
French  Huguenots  who  left  their  native  land  on  account  of  religious  persecu- 
tion. To  this  worthy  couple  were  born  nine  children,  namely:  Amos  S., 
deceased,  who  was  for  years  a  well-known  business  man  of  Tarrytown;  Lo- 
vice, deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  Mr.  Williams  in  Peekskill,  New  York,' 
Mary,  who  is  the  widow  of  Ed  Ackerman,  of  Peekskill;  Noah  H.,  who  died 
in  Tarrytown;  Mason,  who  has  for  years  been  a  well-known  hotel  man;. 
Charles,  who  was  a  sailor  on  the  high  seas  for  many  years  and  died  in  Penn- 
sylvania; Mrs.  Frances  Wheeler,  who  died  at  Manchester,  Connecticut;, 
George  W.,  a  soldier  of  the  civil  war  and  a  member  of  the  famous  "Buck- 
tail"  regiment  of  Pennsylvania,  who  died  in  New  York  in  1891;  and  John 
Henry,  our  subject.  The  father  was  fatally  injured  in  an  accident  and  died 
at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years,  but  the  mother  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-four  years.  Both  were  devout  members  of  the  Methodist  Protestant 
church,  and  he  was  a  Republican  in  politics. 

John  H.  Briggs  spent  his  boyhood  and  youth  under  the  parental  roof, 
and  began  his  business  career  as  a  clerk  in  his  brother  Amos'  store,  where  he- 
remained  until  after  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion.  On  the  12th  of  August, 
1862,  in  response  to  his  country's  call  for  three  hundred  thousand  more  men 
to  aid  in  the  defense  of  the  Union,  he  enlisted  in  the  First  New  York 
Mounted  Rifles,  under  command  of  Colonel  Charles  C.  Dodge,  son  of  Will- 
iam E.  Dodge,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Underdonk  as  second  officer.  He 
remained  in  the  service  until  November  20,  1865,  and  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  sergeant  for  gallant  service.      His  appointment  was  as  follows: 

T/ie  Commanding    Officer    of  the  First  Regiment  of  Mounted  Rifles,    N- 
Y.   S.    v.: 

To  all  who  see  these  presents,  greeting:  Know  ye,  that  reposing  special 
trust  and  confidence  in  the  patriotism,  valor,  fidelity  and  abilities  of  John  H. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  945 

Briggs,  I  do  hereby  appoint  him  sergeant  of  Company  C,  of  the  First  Regi- 
ment of  Mounted  Rifles,  N.  Y.  S.  V.,  in  the  service  of  the  United  States,  to 
rank  as  such  from  the  29th  of  June,  1864.  He  is,  therefore,  carefully  and 
diligently  to  discharge  the  duty  of  sergeant  by  doing  and  performing  all  man- 
ner of  things  thereunto  belonging;  and  I  do  strictly  charge  and  require  all 
non-commissioned  officers  and  soldiers  under  his  command  to  be  obedient  to 
his  orders  as  sergeant;  and  he  is  to  observe  and  follow  such  orders  and  direc- 
tions from  time  to  time  as  he  shall  receive  from  me,  or  the  future  command- 
ing officer  of  the  regiment,  or  other  superior  officers  and  non-commissioned 
officers  set  over  him,  according  to  the  rules  and  discipline  of  war.  The  war- 
rant to  continue  in  force  during  the  pleasure  of  the  commanding  officer  of  the 
regiment  for  the  time  being. 

Given  under  hand  at  the  headquarters  of  the  regiment,  before  Richmond, 
Virginia,  this  ist  day  of  December,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1864. 

By  the  commanding  officer,  E.  V.  Sumner, 

Colonel  1st  N.    Y.  Mounted  Rifles, 
Jas.  Fairgrieve,  Commanding  the  Regiment. 

1st  Lieut.  1st  N.   Y.  Mounted  Rifles, 
Adjutant  of  the  Regiment. 
A.  G.  O.  No.  103. 

For  some  time  after  the  war  Mr.  Briggs  continued  in  his  brother's 
employ,  and  then  embarked  in  the  market  business  on  his  own  account, 
dealing  in  all  kinds  of  meats,  vegetables  and  fruits.  For  the  past  ten  years 
he  has  carried  on  business  in  the  Masonic  Hall  block  in  Tarrytown.  He  is 
one  of  the  most  prominent  members  of  W.  B.  Burnett  Post,  No.  496,  of  that 
place,  in  v^fhich  he  is  now  serving  his  fifth  term  as  commander,  and  he  has 
been  an  active  and  zealous  worker  for  its  interests.  For  five  years  he  has 
efficiently  served  on  the  board  of  education  and  gives  a  ready  support  to  all 
interests  calculated  to  advance  the  moral,  intellectual  or  material  welfare  of 
the  community.  He  and  his  family  hold  their  ecclesiastical  membership  in 
the  Second  Reformed  church  of  Tarrytown  and  take  an  active  part  in  all 
church  and  Sabbath-school  work. 

In  1868  Mr.  Briggs  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Anna  A.  Delanoy, 
who  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  Sing  Sing.  Her  parents,  Josiah  and 
Lucinda  (Tillson)  Delanoy,  were  residents  of  that  place  and  both  died  in 
this  county,  where  the  father  engaged  in  business  as  a  carpenter  and  con- 
tractor for  many  years.  In  religious  faith  they  were  Methodists.  To  our 
subject  and  his  wife  have  been  born  nine  children,  as  follows:  John  M.,  who 
is  engaged  in  business  with  his  father;  Charles  Ed;  Jennie;  George  W. ,  who 
spent  six  years  in  a  broker's  office  in  New  York  city,  but  is  now  at  home  and 
serving  as  tax  collector  for  schools;  Wilbur  G. ,  who  graduated  at  the  Naval 
Academy,  and  in  April,  1898,  entered  the  naval  service  of  the  United  States 
in  the  war  with  Spain,  being  on  board  the  New  Orleans;  Frank  D.,  who 
graduated  with  honors  at  Hamilton  College,  and  also  entered  the  service  of 

60 


S46  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

'his  country,  and  as  a  member  of  the  Fourth  BattaHon  was  stationed  at 
"Camp  Black;  Frederick  F. ,  a  graduate  of  the  Tarrytown  high  school;  and 
Susan  M.  and  Helen  Seeley,  who  are  both  attending  Mrs.  Buckley's  private 
school  at  Tarrytown. 

ELIAS   Q.  GRIFFIN. 

This  prosperous  agriculturist  of  Yorktown  township,  Westchester  county, 
is  a  worthy  scion  of  one  of  the  old  and  honored  families  of  eastern  New 
York.  The  fine  old  homestead  which  he  manages  and  owns  is  an  ideal 
country  seat,  with  fertile,  well  cultivated  fields,  fine  groves  of  trees,  and 
many  natural  attractions.  The  house  which  stands  on  this  property  and  now 
shelters  our  subject's  household  was  one  of  the  first  erected  in  this  county, 
-and  six  generations  have  been  born  and  reared  within  its  hospitable  walls. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  Jonathan  Griffin,, a  native 
of  Dutchess  county.  He  was  a  boy  at  the  time  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution, 
and  a  few  years  later  he  married  a  Miss  Johnson  and  settled  in  this  county, 
where  he  became  well-to-do  and  influential.  He  assisted  all  his  children  to 
get  a  good  start  in  their  independent  careers  and  was  respected  by  all  who 
knew  him.  Daniel  Griffin,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  on  this  old 
homestead,  April  3,  1800,  and,  like  his  ancestors,  followed  agricultural  pur- 
suits. He  also  learned  the  mason's  trade,  at  which  he  worked  more  or  less. 
He  married  Maria  Ridgeway,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  Ridgeway.  She  was  born 
■on  the  Briar  Cliff  Farm,  near  Sing  Sing,  New  York.  Daniel  Ridgeway  was 
one  of  the  two  sons  of  Benjamin  Ridgeway,  of  Philadelphia,  who  gave  each 
of  his  children  one  hundred  acres  of  land.  He  was  a  district  attorney  and' a 
man  of  high  standing  in  his  profession.  The  wife  of  Daniel  Ridgeway  was  a 
Miss  Elizabeth  Pugsley,  of  a  prominent  old  family  of  Sing  Sing. 

To  the  marriage  of  Daniel  and  Maria  Griffin  eight  children  were  born, 
namely:  Mary;  Phoebe;  Elias;  Daniel  J.,  who  married  Ellastine  Hyatt  and 
is  a  resident  of  Sing  Sing;  Gilbert,  who  married  Margaret  Griffin,  and  died, 
leaving  three  children, — Franklin,  Ordway  and  Alma;  and  Elizabeth,  David 
and  Emma,  who  have  passed  to  the  silent  land.  The  faithful  mother  of 
these  children  was  called  to  her  reward  when  she  had  attained  the  good  old 
age  of  seventy-nine  years.  The  father  departed  this  life  when  he  was  in  his 
eighty-seventh  year.  They  were  brought  up  in  the  faith  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  and  adhering  to  the  noble,  peaceful  teachings  of  that  sect,  their 
lives  were  beyond  reproach,  worthy  "to  be  seen  and  read  of  men."  "With 
such  parents  and  the  influence  of  such  a  beautiful  Christian  home,  it  is  small 
wonder  that  the  children  who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  be  reared  in  this  fine 
old  residence  became  sterling  citizens  and  useful  members  of  society. 

Elias  Q.  Griffin,  of  this  article,  was  born  here  March  3,  1842,  and  as 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  947 

soon  as  he  arrived  at  a  suitable  age  he  was  set  to  work  on  the  farm,  early 
learning  lessons  of  industry  and  attention  to  business.  He  is  now  a  practical 
farmer  and  judiciously  manages  his  financial  affairs.  Everything  about  his 
farm  is  in  fine  condition  and  speaks  well  for  the  constant,  watchful  care  of 
the  owner.  He  has  spent  his  whole  life  here  and  is  deeply  attached  to  the 
spot.  His  two  sisters,  Mary  and  Phoebe,  keep  house  for  him,  and  their  home 
is  an  ideal  one,  each  sharing  fully  the  other's  interests,  joys  and  sorrows. 
Politically,  Mr.  Griffin  is  a  Democrat. 


BENJAMIN  B.  SEARLES. 


An  old  and  honored  citizen  of  Westchester  county,  Mr.  Searles  has  been 
identified  with  its  agricultural  interests  from  early  life.  He  was  born  on  the 
old  Searles  homestead  in  this  county,  October  14,  1818,  and  belongs  to  a 
family  which  was  founded  in  this  state  in  colonial  days.  His  father,  Bailey 
B.  Searles,  was  born  in  Bedford  township,  Westchester  county,  in  1794,  a 
son  of  Samuel  Searles,  and  grandson  of  Joseph  Searles,  who  was  of  German 
descent.  Samuel  Searles  and  wife,  Keziah,  reared  a  family  of  sixteen  chil- 
dren, of  whom  ten  were  each  over  six  feet  in  height,  while  their  aggregate 
weight  was  fully  two  thousand  pounds.  One  daughter  also  was  gifted  with 
great  strength,  being  able  to  lift  a  barrel  of  cider  up  so  as  to  drink  out  of  the 
bunghole. 

Baily  B.  Searles,  our  subject's  father,  followed  the  occupation  of  farm- 
ing throughout  life,  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and 
gave  his  political  support  in  turn  to  the  Whig  and  Republican  parties.  He 
married  Miss  Sarah  Moger,  also  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  She 
was  born  in  New  Castle,  New  York,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Simons  and 
Eustacia  (Gales)  Moger.  This  worthy  couple  became  the  parents  of  two 
children:  Caroline,  deceased  wife  of  William  B.  Finch,  of  Banksville;  and 
Benjamin,  of  this  sketch.  The  father  died  on  the  old  homestead  in  1867, 
aged  seventy-three  years,  and  the  mother  passed  away  in  1863,  aged  sixty- 
three.     They  were  widely  and  favorably  known. 

In  much  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  boys  of  his  day,  Benjamin  B.  Searles 
passed  his  early  life,  his  education  being  acquired  in  the  public  schools.  In 
1843  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Caroline  Young,  a  native  of  Sing 
Sing  and  a  daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (Baldwin)  Young.  She  is  one 
of  a  family  of  nine  children,  of  whom  eight  reached  years  of  maturity, 
namely:  Jemima,  James  B.,  Hester  S.,  Charles,  Eben,  Samuel,  Sarah  Ann 
and  Caroline.  The  father  died  in  Westchester  county,  and  the  mother,  who 
was  an  earnest  and  faithful  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
departed  this  life  in  1861,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years.     The  children 


948  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Searles  were  as  follows:  Adaline,  now  the  wife  of 
Samuel  Green,  a  carpenter  who  resides  in  Mount  Kisco,  this  county;  Sarah 
E.,  the  second  born,  who  died  in  infancy;  Bailey  B.,  who  married  Miss- 
Alice  Flewellan,  of  this  county,  daughter  of  Caleb  Flewellan,  deceased,  and 
is  engaged  in  farming  in  Westchester  county;  and  William  R.,  who  married 
Miss  Iretta  Thomkins,  of  West  Somers,  this  county. 

Mr.  Searles  has  spent  fifty-three  years  of  his  married  life  on  the  old  home 
farm,  where  he  located  prior  to  his  marriage  in  1832.  Although  a  portion 
of  the  original  tract  has  been  sold,  it  is  still  a  large  farm,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  attractive  and  pleasant  places  in  the  locality.  As  an  agriculturist  he 
has  met  with  a  well  deserved  success,  and  his  life  has  ever  been  such  as  to 
win  for  him  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  has  come  in  con- 
tact. He  and  his  sons  are  all  stanch  supporters  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  socially  he  affiliates  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


CHARLES  HOFFMEISTER. 

This  gentleman,  who  was  for  many  years  actively  identified  with  the 
business  interests  of  New  Rochelle,  New  York,  was  born  in  the  village  of 
Hanover,  Germany,  October  4,  1824,  a  son  of  Charles  and  Henrietta  (Cor- 
nelius) Hoffmeister.  His  father  was  a  skilled  mechanic  and  millwright,  wha 
built  many  mills  in  the  locality  in  which  he  lived.  He  died  when  his  son 
Charles  was  a  boy  of  three  years,  and  thus  the  latter  was  very  early  in  life 
thrown  upon  his  own  resources.  However,  he  was  able  to  secure  a  fair  edu- 
cation, attending  school  between  the  ages  of  six  and  fifteen  years;  then,  in 
accordance  with  the  German  custom,  he  was  placed  at  a  trade,  namely,  that 
of  butcher,  in  which  he  became  familiar  with  every  department,  but  making 
a  specialty  of  the  manufacture  of  sausage. 

In  1849,  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years,  he  decided  to  seek  his  fortune 
in  America,  and  on  the  nth  day  of  May  embarked  for  New  York  city,  where 
he  landed  in  safety  July  10.  At  once  he  began  to  look  around  for  employ- 
ment, and  after  two  weeks  he  secured  a  place,  at  two  and  a  half  dollars  per 
week,  his  duty  being  to  pick  hair  from  coon-skins.  With  these  wages,  how- 
ever, he  could  pay  for  no  more  than  cheap  board;  so  he  continued  on  the 
outlook  for  a  better  place,  which  he  soon  found,  and  the  next  three  years  he 
was  in  the  employ  of  Captain  Otto,  of  the  Butcher  Guards,  and  during  this 
period  he  saved  his  money,  which  enabled  him  to  start  in  business  for  him- 
self, at  first  with  a  small  stand,  but  from  the  commencement  he  prospered 
and  made  money  rapidly.  At  length,  however,  he  invested  largely  in  pork, 
which  directly  went  down  in  price  and  he  lost  all  he  had  made.  This  was 
during  the  Crimean  war,  before  he  located  in  New  Rochelle.      Later  he  made 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  949 

another  business  venture,  in  the  butchering  business,  and  was  very  success- 
ful, but  in  time  he  sold  out  this  situation,  on  account  of  ill  health,  and  started 
in  the  coal  business,  in  partnership  with  a  Mr.  Davids,  and  in  this  enterprise 
also  was  successful,  buying  in  large  quantities  and  obtaining  cheap  transpor- 
tation by  water  and  soon  controlling  the  business  at  New  Rochelle;  and  here, 
too,  he  was  the  founder  of  the  New  Rochelle  Coal  &  Lumber  Company.  For 
a  time  he  dealt  in  lumber,  in  connection  with  his  coal  business,  but  sold  this 
to  the  firm  of  Grenzebach  &  Carpenter.  Returning  to  the  butchering  busi- 
ness again,  he  opened  a  well  equipped  meat  market,  which  he  successfully 
conducted,  in  addition  to  his  other  interests,  and  did  a  large  and  prosperous 
business,  until  January  i,  1899,  when  he  sold  out  and  retired,  having  been 
an  invalid  for  about  nine  years,  confined  mostly  to  his  house.  For  the  last 
three  years  of  this  time  his  worthy  wife  took  charge  of  his  business.  He  died 
on  the  13th  of  January,  1899,  and  his  funeral  v/as  attended  by  a  large  con- 
course of  friends  from  all  parts  of  the  county  and  New  York  city.  Being  a 
Freemason,  a  member  of  Huguenot  Lodge,  and  also  a  member  of  the  Royal 
Arcanum  and  a  retired  member  of  the  fire  department,  he  was  well  and  favor- 
able known  throughout  a  large  section  of  the  country.  The  Masonic  services 
were  held  in  Masonic  Hall,  in  his  own  building.  Mr.  Hoff meister  was  a  man 
of  the  highest  integrity,  honesty  being  his  watch-word,  and  perhaps  no  man 
in  Westchester  county  was  held  in  higher  regard.  Besides  his  pleasant  home 
in  New  Rochelle,  he  owned  other  valuable  property  here,  and  was  a  stock- 
holder in  the  New  Rochelle  Bank. 

Mr.  Hoffmeister  was  married  three  times.  His  first  wife,  who  was  a 
native  of  Hanover,  Germany,  and  whom  he  married  in  that  country,  died  of 
■cholera,  in  August,  soon  after  landing  in  America.  In  1852  Mr.  Hoffmeister 
wedded  Miss  Margaret  Lutz,  of  New  York  city,  and  they  had  one  daughter, 
named  Amelia,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  Julius  Kusche,  of  New  Rochelle.  For 
his  third  wife  our  subject  chose  Miss  Isabelle  Wendling,  a  native  of  Ford- 
ham,  New  York.  Her  father,  Frederick  Wendling,  deceased,  was  one  of  the 
old  and  honored  citizens  of  New  Rochelle,  a  native  of  Bavaria,  Germany, 
born  in  Salzhof,  December  24,  1814.  He  came  to  America  when  a  young 
man  and  worked  at  his  trade  of  cabinet-making  in  New  York  city  for  a  short 
time,  and  was  advised  to  go  to  the  country,  on  account  of  his  poor  health, 
and  consequently  he  came  to  New  Rochelle,  in  1845,  ^^'^  took  charge  of  the 
Thomas  Ronalds  estate  for  twenty-eight  years,  which  he  conducted  honestly 
and  faithfully  until  the  death  of  the  proprietor.  He  amassed  considerable 
property.  For  a  time  he  conducted  a  soda-water  business  in  New  Rochelle. 
He  was  active  until  about  three  years  before  his  death.  He  was  a  man  of 
the  highest  integrity,  and  his  counsels  were  sought  by  many,  and  his  life  was 
such  as  to  serve  for  an  example  for  honesty  and  integrity.      His  death  was  a 


950  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

serious  loss  to  the  community,  although  he  had  passed  the  period  of  activity. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  He  was  married  in  Zion's  church, 
New  York  city,  August  31,  1842,  to  Miss  Isabella  Kerney,  a  native  of  Canada, 
who  died  in  1863,  after  having  had  six  children, — Isabella,  Emily,  Frederick, 
John,  Rebecca  and  Adam,  all  deceased  but  two, — Isabella  and  Emily,  the 
latter  the  wife  of  Henry  Berger. 


THE  D.  S.  JACKSON  FAMILY. 

Prominent  among  the  families  that  have  made  Yonkers  their  home  in 
the  present  generation  are  the  descendants  of  Henry  Jackson,  of  New  York 
city,  and  Katherine  Sherwood.  On  the  paternal  side  they  are  identified  with 
the  annals  of  early  New  York,  and  they  can  trace  their  maternal  line  of 
ancestry  back  to  several  of  the  most  distinguished  settlers  of  Westchester 
county. 

David  Sherwood  Jackson,  the  grandson  of  Henry  Jackson,  married 
Elizabeth  Williams,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Abraham  Valentine  Williams,  of 
Fordham,  and  his  first  wife,  Emeline  Davia.  Dr.  Williams  was  a  son  of 
Elisha  Williams  and  Ann  Valentine,  and  was  thus  descended  from  two  of  the 
oldest  and  most  representative  families  of  the  county.  During  the  early 
years  of  the  present  century  he  was  among  the  best  known  physicians  in 
New  York,  in  which  state,  at  Bioomingdale,  he  for  a  long  time  commanded 
a  lucrative  practice.  He  was  connected  by  marriage  with  the  Odell  and 
Dyckman  families,  of  Westchester. 

Of  the  children  of  David  Sherwood  Jackson  and  Elizabeth,  ne'e  Williams, 
Sarah  Catharine,  the  eldest,  married  Frederick  Agate,  the  only  son  of  the 
late  Joseph  Agate,  a  prominent  and  wealthy  citizen  of  Yonkers.  Frederick 
Agate  died  in  Luzerne,  Switzerland,  and  his  wife  in  New  York  city.  Two 
children  survive  them,  —  Frederick  and  May  Agate, —  who  now  reside  in 
Yonkers. 

Abraham  Valentine  Williams  Jackson,  the  second  child  of  David  Sher- 
wood Jackson  and  Elizabeth,  nee  Williams,  was  born  in  New  York,  February 
9,  1862,  and  was  instructed  in  the  rudiments  of  knowledge  in  the  public  and 
private  schools  of  that  city.  Having  at  an  early  age  evinced  a  strong  pas- 
sion for  study,  he  was  entered  as  a  student  at  Columbia  College,  New  York, 
in  1879,  with  the  design  of  preparing  him  for  one  of  the  learned  professions. 
In  1883  he  was  graduated  at  that  university  at  the  head  of  his  class,  winning 
thereby  the  prize  fellowship  in  letters,  which  enabled  him  to  prosecute  a 
post-graduate  course  of  study  for  three  years.  In  1884  the  degree  of  M.  A. 
was  conferred  upon  him  by  Columbia  College;  in  1885  the  degree  of  L.H.D.; 
and  in  1886  the  degree  of  Ph.  D.      In  1887  he  was  appointed   instructor  in 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  951 

the  Anglo-Saxon  and  the  Iranian  languages  at  Columbia,  at  the  same  time 
that  he  was  prosecuting  a  course  of  special  study  in  the  University  of  Halle, 
Germany.  In  1889  Professor  Jackson  married  Dora  Elizabeth  Ritter,  of 
Yonkers,  a  daughter  of  the  late  John  Peter  Ritter,  who  for  twenty-five  years 
was  assistant  manager  of  the  New  York  Clearing  House. 

From  1 891  until  1895  Professor  Jackson  filled  the  chair  of  adjunct  pro- 
fessor of  the  English  language  and  literature  at  Columbia,  and  in  the  latter 
year  was  appointed  professor  of  the  Indo-lranian  languages  at  the  same 
university.  His  reputation  as  an  oriental  scholar  was  by  this  time  firmly 
established,  both  in  this  country  and  abroad.  He  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  American  Oriental  Society,  of  the  American  Philological  Society,  of  the 
Deutsche  Morgenlandische  Gesellschaft,  and  other  learned  bodies,  while  his 
services  as  a  lecturer  were  in  constant  demand.  As  an  author 
Professor  Jackson  has  gained  a  distinguished  position  in  American 
literature,  and  especially  among  learned  men.  Besides  contributing 
many  articles  ,to  the  journals  and  periodicals  at  home  and  abroad,  he  has 
written  several  books  of  permanent  value.  In  1888  he  published  "A  Hymn 
of  Zoroaster,  Vasna  XXXI;  "  in  1892,  "An  Avesta  Grammar,  in  Compari- 
son with  Sanskrit;  "  in  1893,  "  An  Avesta  Reader;  "  and  in  1898,  "Zoroaster, 
the  Prophet  of  Ancient  Iran."  The  last  named  work  is  regarded  by  oriental- 
ists as  a  classic,  and  promises  to  hand  down  its  author's  name  to  posterity. 
Unlike  most  men  of  learning,  Professor  Jackson  takes  an  active  interest  in 
the  social  and  political  affairs  in  the  community  in  which  he  resides.  In 
recognition  of  his  public  spirit  he  was  appointed  a  trustee  of  the  board  of 
education  of  Yonkers  in  1898, — a  position  which  he  has  since  filled  with 
fidelity  and  efficiency. 

Lily  Hearns  Jackson,  the  youngest  child  of  David  Sherwood  Jackson 
and  Elizabeth  ne'e  Williams,  married  George  Edward  Stevens,  formerly  of 
New  Haven,  but  now  a  resident  of  Yonkers.  Mr.  Stevens  is  largely  interested 
in  the  New  Haven  Clock  Company,  and  is  at  present  one  of  its  officers. 
The  children  of  this  marriage  are  two  sons, — George  Edward,  Jr.,  and 
John.  

DENNIS  O'NEILL. 

Mr.  O'Neill,  who  is  one  of  the  enterprising  and  public-spirited  citizens  of 
Bronxville,  was  born  in  West-Made,  Ireland,  in  1844,  a  son  of  John  and 
Julia  (Loran)  O'Neill,  natives  also  of  "  Erin's  green  isle."  His  father  died 
in  that  country,  October  18,  1846,  but  his  mother,  born  in  1807,  is  still  liv- 
ing and  is  in  the  full  possession  of  all  her  faculties. 

Mr.  O'Neill,  the  subject  proper  of  this  sketch,  was  educated  in  his  native 
country,  in  the  common  schools,  until  he  was  fifteen  years    of  age,  when  he 


952  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

commenced  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  completed  and  followed 
until  he  came  to  America,  in  1866.  His  first  two  years  in  this  country  he 
spent  in  New  York  city,  at  his  trade.  In  August,  1868,  he  moved  to  Bronx- 
ville  and  entered  the  employ  of  Frederick  Opendyke,  a  superintending  car- 
penter, and  remained  in  his  service  for  thirteen  years.  Then  he  began  con- 
tracting and  building  on  his  own  account,  in  Bronxville,  South  Woodland, 
Port  Chester  and  other  towns  in  the  vicinity,  completing  buildings  from  cellar 
to  roof. 

As  an  evidence  of  his  public  spirit  we  may  refer  to  the  fact  that  he  has 
been  one  of  the  principal  advocates  of  good  roads,  so  changing  much  of  the 
adverse  sentiment  of  the  community  that  he  rejoices  to-day  in  witnessing  the 
great  results  in  the  improvements  of  the  highways,  which  are  now  among  the 
best  in  the  state. 

In  his  political  views  he  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  doing  much  efificient  work 
for  the  advancement  of  his  party.  He  has  held  many  local  offices,  and  is 
now  justice  of  the  peace,  having  been  three  times  elected.  He  has  long  since 
established  a  good  reputation  for  a  judicial  character,  and  is  in  every  way 
highly  esteemed  by  the  community. 

In  matrimony  he  was  united  with  Miss  Ellen  Brown,  daughter  of  John 
Brown,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter  living,  named  Margaret  E.  The  family 
are  members  of  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  Roman  Catholic, 
at  Tuckahoe,  in  which  beautiful  village  they  have  a  fine  residence,  on  one  of 
the  principal  streets. 

JOHN  I.   THOM. 

For  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  John  I.  Thorn  has  been  prominently 
associated  with  the  business  interests  of  Pleasantville,  meriting  the  high 
praise  which  is  cordially  extended  him  by  every  one  who  enjoys  his  acquaint- 
anceship. He  is  a  native  of  Mount  Pleasant,  New  York,  his  birth  having 
occurred  October  28,  1847.  He  comes  from  a  sterling,  honored  old  family  of 
thip  state,  his  parents  having  been  Isaac  and  Emeline  (Roswell)  Thorn,  the 
latter  a  daughter  of  John  and  Esther  (Rogue)  Roswell.  They  all  followed 
agricultural  pursuits,  leading  quiet,  industrious  lives,  without  fear  or  reproach, 
as  they  endeavored  to  perform  their  daily  duties  in  a  conscientious  manner 
and  were  loving  and  just  to  their  associates  and  all  with  whom  they  had 
dealings.  After  having  reared  seven  children  to  maturity,  seeing  them 
take  useful  places  in  the  busy  world,  Isaac  Thorn  and  wife  passed  to  their 
reward,  he  dying  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years,  while  she  was  just  three- 
score years  old  at  the  time  of  her  demise.  He  was  a  Republican  in  his  polit- 
ical attitude,  believing  firmly  in  the  superiority  of  that  party.  Of  his  fam- 
ily but  four  are  now  living,  namely:     Mariette;  Deborah;  Abbie  Jane,   wife 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  953 

of  Ed  Conklin,  of  Hudson,  New  York,  and  John  I. ;  George,  Samuel  and 
Esther  have  passed  into  the  silent  land. 

Upon  the  home  farm  John  I.  Thom  was  reared  and  educated  in  the 
manner  common  to  boys  of  the  agricultural  class  in  his  day.  By  the  time 
that  he  had  arrived  at  his  majority  he  found  himself  possessed  of  a  fair  gen- 
eral education  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  proper  way  to  carry  on  a 
farm.  However,  his  tastes  did  not  lead  him  to  continue  as  a  farmer  and  he 
eventually  drifted  into  business.  Coming  to  Pleasantville,  he  proceeded 
to  devote  his  talents  to  various  enterprises  and  for  a  number  years  has 
been  the  proprietor  of  a  finely  equipped  livery  stable.  His  horses  are 
of  an  unusually  high  grade,  comprising  good  roadsters  and  saddle  animals; 
and  a  full  line  of  first-class  vehicles  of  different  kinds  may  be  found  here. 
As  a  business  man  he  has  met  with  success  and  has  acquired  a  comfortable 
competence. 

Upon  arriving  at  man's  estate,  John  I.  Thom  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Fanny  Wheeler,  who  was  born  at  North  Salem,  this  county,  a 
<3aughter  of  Ira  Wheeler,  of  that  place.  By  this  union  five  children  were 
born:  Lillie  W. ,  May  Rose,  Edith  O.,  Ernest  and  Thomas.  The  wife  and 
mother  was  called  to  her  final  rest  in  1880,  and  Mr.  Thom  subsequently  wed- 
ded Miss  Esther  Odell,  a  daughter  of  Leonard  and  Martha  Odell.  One  son 
graces  the  second  union  of  our  subject,  John  Leonard  by  name.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Thom  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Following  in  the 
political  footsteps  of  his  father,  he  is  an  unswerving  Republican,  patriotic 
and  public-spirited. 

ALBERT  FINCH. 

Albert  Finch,  a  skillful  mechanic  and  expert  electrician,  is  one  of  the 
respected  citizens  of  Yonkers,  Westchester  county.  He  is  a  native  of  the 
city  of  New  York,  born  December  7,  1844,  his  parents  being  Robert  T.  and 
Deborah  (Bridgeman)  Finch.  He  is  of  English  ancestry,  and  his  paternal 
grandfather  was  a  resident  of  Berkshire  and  an  adherent  of  the  Episcopal 
church.  He  lived  to  attain  the  ripe  age  of  four-score  years.  Robert  Finch, 
the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Berkshire  and  there  learned  the  trade 
of  cabinet-making,  which  calling  he  followed  throughou1,his  Hfe.  On  attain- 
ing his  majority  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  took  up  his  residence  in 
New  York  city,  where  he  married  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Bridgeman,  a  well 
known  florist.  Mr.  Bridgeman  was  possessed  of  considerable  wealth,  owning 
much  valuable  property  on  Broadway,  and  his  greenhouses  and  flower  gar- 
dens were  located  at  Eighteenth  street  and  Broadway,  where  he  occupied  an 
entire  square.  He  was  connected  with  various  horticultural  and  agricultural 
societies,  and  his  opinions  were  received  as  authority  upon  subjects  relating 


954  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

to  his  line  of  business.  He  was  an  earnest  member  of  the  Baptist  church 
and  was  noted  for  his  many  acts  of  kindness  and  benevolence.  Politically 
he  was  a  Democrat.  His  children  were  seven  in  number,  and  were  named  as 
follows:     Joseph,  John,  Alfred,  Angela,  Deborah,  Martha  and  Emily. 

Albert  Finch  received  an  excellent  education  in  the  schools  of  the 
metropolis  and  Yonkers,  and  after  completing  his  studies  worked  for  four 
years  upon  farms  in  Rockland  county.  New  York.  Being  too  ambitious  to 
settle  down  to  the  routine  of  an  agricultural  life,  he  then  began  learning  the 
business  of  a  machinist  with  Otis  Brothers  &  Company,  of  this  city.  He 
remained  in  the  employ  of  that  firm  for  eight  years,  during  which  time  he 
thoroughly  mastered  the  business,  and  in  1871  he  entered  upon  his  long  term 
of  service  with  the  firm  of  Eickemeyer  &  Osterheld,  covering  a  period  of 
twenty-two  years.  The  firm  controls  one  of  the  large  hat-manufacturing 
establishments  of  the  country,  and  Mr.  Finch  had  charge  of  their  construc- 
tion and  experimental  work.  With  his  able  assistance  the  electric  motor  for 
trolleys,  an  invention  of  the  senior  member  of  the  firm,  was  placed  in  suc- 
cessful operation  and  has  since  been  introduced  in  many  sections  of  the  coun- 
try with  gratifying  success.  Many  lines  using  this  system  are  now  in  pros- 
perous and  flourishing  condition,  both  financially  and  mechanically.  When 
in  1893  the  electrical  branch  of  the  business  was  sold  to  the  Otis  Electric 
Company,  Mr.  Finch  was  sought  by  the  latter  firm  to  fit  up  their  new  plant 
with  machinery  and  to  act  as  foreman  of  the  enterprise.  Accepting  the  prof- 
fered position,  he  is  now  connected  with  this  well  known  corporation,  and 
under  his  supervision  has  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  men, 
according  to  the  amount  of  contracts  on  hand. 

In  1866  Mr.  Finch  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Smith,  a 
daughter  of  John  Smith,  of  England.  They  became  the  parents  of  three 
children,  two  of  whom  died  before  receiving  a  name.  The  other  child,  Ida, 
is  now  the  wife  of  Charles  Thompson,  and  is  a  resident  of  King's  Bridge,  New 
York.  In  political  matters  Mr.  Finch  is  entirely  independent  of  party  ties 
and  exercises  his  franchise  in  support  of  the  men  and  measures  which  he 
believes  will  most  promote  the  public  good.  He  is  identified  with  the 
Masonic  order,  the  Exempt  Firemen's  Association  and  the  Otis  Mutual  Ben- 
efit Association.        . 

WILLIAM    PATEMAN. 

William  Pateman,  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Pateman  &  Lockwood,. 
lumber  dealers,  of  Irvington,  has  thus  been  prominently  connected  with  the 
business  interests  of  the  city  for  twenty-three  years,  and  sustains  an  unsullied 
reputation  in  commercial  circles.  A  native  of  New  Jersey,  he  was  born  in 
the  city  of  Newark,  July  2,    1827,   and   is  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  J.  Pate- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  955- 

man.  The  father  was  likewise  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  but  the  mother  was 
born  in  England  in  the  year  1800.  After  their  marriage  they  located  in  the 
town  of  Perth  Amboy,  New  Jersey,  where  Mr.  Pateman  engaged  in  contract- 
ing and  building  for  a  number  of  years.  Later  he  took  up  his  abode  in 
Newark,  where  he  spent  the  residue  of  his  days.  His  wife  passed  away  in 
1878. 

In  his  youth  William  Pateman  pursued  his  education  at  night  in  a  pri- 
vate school  conducted  by  Dr.  Rowland,  at  Tarrytown.  He  is  strictly  a  self- 
made  man  in  the  best  sense  of  that  term,  for  at  an  early  age  he  started  out 
upon  an  independent  business  career,  first  serving  an  apprenticeship  at  the 
brick  and  stone  mason's  trade.  He  also  learned  the  business  of  lathing  and 
plastering,  and  having  worked  in  those  lines  to  some  extent  in  Newark  he 
afterward  became  interested  in  freighting  on  the  Hudson,  which  pursuit  he 
followed  until  1866.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  lumber  business,  in 
which  he  was  engaged,  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Taylor  &  Pateman,  at 
Dobbs  Ferry  for  six  years.  The  opportunities  of  the  west  next  attracted^ 
him,  and  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Morris  county,  Kansas,  continuing  its  opera- 
tion and  development  until  1875,  when  he  returned  to  the  east  and  purchased 
the  interest  of  Andrew  Storm  in  the  lumber  business  at  Irvington.  Prior  to  1 876 
he  had  entered  into  partnership  with  S.  B.  Lockwood,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Lockwood  &  Pateman,  and  the  new  firm  dealt  in  lumber  and  mason's 
materials.  In  1888  the  style  of  the  company  became  as  at  present,  Pateman 
&  Lockwood,  and  the  firm  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  reliable  rep- 
resentatives of  the  lumber  trade  in  this  section  of  the  county.  A  large  and 
well  selected  stock  of  lumber  and  all  kinds  of  mason's  and  builder's  materials 
and  supplies  are  kept  constantly  on  hand,  and  as  the  yards  are  conveniently 
located  near  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  tracks,  the  firm  does  an  exten- 
sive and  constantly  increasing  outside  business.  By  intelligent  and  well  direct- 
ed energy  Mr.  Pateman  has  made  a  success  of  his  commercial  enterprises,  and 
at  the  same  time  he  has  won  an  enviable  reputation  for  uprightness  and  hon- 
orable dealing  in  all  his  transactions. 

In  1849  Mr.  Pateman  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Harriet  F.  Weeks, 
a  daughter  of  Absalom  Weeks,  of  North  Tarrytown,  and  by  this  union  two 
sons  and  four  daughters  were  born,  namely:  Sarah  E.,  who  died  in  May, 
1875;  Irene,  wife  of  H.  J.  Parnell,  of  Tarrytown;  Mary  Viola,  wife  of  Will- 
iam S.  Mack;  William  Thomas,  Albert  and  Edna  Hester.  The  mother  died 
in  May,  1874,  and  in  1878  Mr.  Pateman  was  again  married,  his  second  union 
being  with  Mary  M.  Miller,  of  Bedford,  Westchester  county,  a  daughter  of 
Charles  M.  and  Sarah  (Holmes)  Miller.  They  have  two  children,  Edith  A. 
and  Charles  M.,  who  are  attending  the  schools  of  Irvington.  The  name  of 
Mr.  Pateman  appears  on  the  membership  roll  of  Diamond   Lodge,  No.  555, 


956  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  he  is  regarded  as  a  valued  representative  of  tiie  order. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  Christ  church,  of  Tarrytown,  and  are  active 
in  all  good  works  whereby  their  fellow  men  are  to  be  benefited  and  elevated. 
They  have  many  smcere  friends  in  the  community  in  which  they  reside,  and 
are  highly  respected  by  all  who  know  them.  Since  starting  out  in  life  for 
himself  Mr.  Pateman  has  steadily  worked  his  way  upward  and  as  the  result 
of  his  capable  management,  untiring  energy  and  keen  discretion  in  business 
affairs  has  won  a  most  creditable  success. 


RICHARD  G.   BENNETT. 


Mr.  Bennett,  who  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Tuckahoe,  Westchester 
county.  New  York,  January  i,  1898,  as  the  successor  to  Isaac  B.  Lent,  was 
born  in  Staffordshire,  England,  January  6,  1841,  and  while  an  infant  his 
father  died.  His  mother,  whose  name  before  marriage  was  Sarah  Webber, 
was  a  native  of  England,  and  for  her  second  husband  married  John  Massey. 
In  i860  they  emigrated  to  America,  when  the  family  consisted  of  the  step- 
father, the  mother  and  a  step-brother.  They  first  settled  on  Long  Island, 
New  York,  upon  a  farm,  where  they  remained  until  1863. 

Early  in  the  war  of  the  great  Rebellion  Mr.  Bennett  enlisted  for  the 
Union  and  the  government,  joining  Company  H,  Fourth  Regiment  of  Massa- 
chusetts Cavalry,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Washburne,  who  was 
killed  near  the  close  of  the  war.  The  regiment  to  which  Mr.  Bennett  was 
attached  was  sent  to  South  Carolina  and  stationed  for  a  time  at  Beaufort, 
and  thence  went  to  Fortress  Monroe  and  to  Newport  News,  where  it  was 
placed  under  the  command  of  General  B.  F.  Butler,  who  had  been  in  com- 
mand of  the  Army  of  the  Gulf  and  was  now  in  charge  of  the  Army  of 
the  James.  The  regiment  remained  there  until  the  fall  of  Richmond, 
when  it  was  assigned  to  duty  under  General  Charles  Paine,  and  after- 
ward General  Terry.  With  this  regiment  Mr.  Bennett  participated  in  the 
battle  in  front  of  Richmond,  and  during  that  engagement  he  contracted  a 
"cold  "  from  which  he  never  fully  recovered;  however,  he  continued  in  the 
service  until  the  surrender  of  General  Lee  and  the  virtual  end  of  the  war. 
With  four  others,  he  was  the  first  to  enter  Richmond,  and  was  also  one  of 
the  guards  of  honor  selected  to  escort  General  Robert  E.  Lee  across  the 
lines  after  his  surrender.  Mr.  Bennett  was  often  detailed  to  carry  important 
dispatches  to  commanding  officers.  He  was  honorably  discharged  from  the 
army  December  14,  1865.  His  stepfather,  John  Massey,  was  also  a  soldier 
in  the  same  war,  a  member  of  the  Eleventh  New  York  Heavy  Artillery, 
and  during  the  last  portion  of  the  period  of  his  service  he  was  at  Boston 
Harbor. 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  957 

After  his  discharge  Mr.  Bennett  visited  his  old  home  in  England,  and, 
returning,  settled  on  Long  Island,  where  he  married  Miss  Charlotte  Webber, 
of  Long  Island,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Webber.  She  was  a  native  of  Nova 
Scotia,  and  when  she  was  a  little  girl  was  brought  by  her  parents  to  Long 
Island  in  their  emigration  to  that  section  of  New  York.  His  children  are 
Ellen  S.,  Edna  F.,  Lillie  G.,  Richard  A.,  Anna  G.,  Geraldine  L.,  Emma 
and  Irene.  In  1867  Mr.  Bennett  moved  to  Tuckahoe,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  From  that  year  until  1898  he  was  a  contractor  and  builder,  and  in 
January,  1898,  he  was  appointed  postmaster,  as  already  mentioned,  for  a 
term  of  four  years. 

In  his  political  principles  Mr.  Bennett  is  a  Republican.  For  the  past 
fourteen  years  he  has  served  his  village  as  a  trustee,  five  years  of  which  time 
he  was  president  of  the  board.  He  is  a  member  of  Farnsworth  Post,  G.  A. 
R. ,  at  Mount  Vernon;  and  of  Marble  Lodge,  No.  702,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which 
he  was  master  for  three  years.  He  is  also  one  of  the  wardens  of  St.  John's 
church,  Protestant  Episcopal,  at  Tuckahoe.  He  is  a  trustee  of  the  Building 
and  Loan  Association  and  of  the  Tuckahoe  Lyceum. 


FRANCIS  P.  TREANOR. 


An  enumeration  of  those  men  of  the  present  generation  who  have  won 
honor  and  public  recognition  for  themselves,  and  at  the  same  time  have  hon- 
ored the  state  to  which  they  belong,  would  be  incomplete  were  there  failure 
to  make  prominent  reference  to  the  one  whose  name  initiates  this  paragraph. 
He  holds  distinctive  precedence  in  Democratic  circles  in  Westchester  county,. 
in  fact  is  an  important  factor  in  the  party  in  connection  with  its  state  man- 
agement and  policy.  He  has  held  positions  of  prominence,  in  all  of  which 
his  course  has  been  characterized  by  a  masterful  understanding  of  the  prob- 
lems presented,  and  by  a  patriotic  devotion  to  those  measures  which  he 
believed  for  the  public  good.  Over  his  political  record  there  falls  no  shadow 
of  wrong  or  suspicion  of  evil  and  he  is  popular  among  the  political  leaders 
of  the  Empire  state. 

Born  in  New  York  city,  on  the  nth  of  May,  1856,  he  is  a  son  of  Patrick 
and  Margaret  (Tammany)  Treanor.  His  father,  who  was  born  in  18 10,  died 
in  1875,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  In  the  family  were  three  sons  and  a 
daughter.  James  J.,  the  eldest,  is  a  graduate  of  St.  Francis  Xavier's  Col- 
lege, which  has  conferred  upon  him  the  degrees  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  and  Mas- 
ter of  Arts,  and  had  the  honor  of  being  valedictorian  of  his  class.  He  is  now 
engaged  in  the  stone  business  in  New  York  city,  and  is  one  of  the  prominent 
and  brilliant  men  of  the  metropolis.  John  A.,  the  second  of  the  family,  was 
a  graduate  of  St.   Francis  Xavier  College,   became  a  member  of  the  Jesuit 


•958  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

order  of  Catholic  priests  and  vice-president  of  St.  John's  College,  of  New 
York  city.  He  was  also  vice-president  of  St.  Francis  Xavier  College,  of  New 
York,  and  pastor  of  St.  Lawrence  church,  on  Eighty-fourth  street.  In  1881, 
in  company  with  Judge  Donahue  of  the  supreme  court,  he  made  an  extended 
trip  through  the  west.  While  descending  the  Yosemite  valley  in  a  carriage 
the  vehicle  was  overturned  and  he  was  killed.  He  was  a  man  of  great  learn- 
ing and  one  of  the  most  distinguished  priests  in  the  city.  Margaret,  the  only 
daughter  of  the  family,  was  graduated  in  the  convent  of  the  Sacred  Heart, 
then  became  a  sister  in  that  order,  and  there  died  in  1884. 

The  other  son  of  the  family  is  Francis  P.  Treanor,  of  this  review.  He 
was  educated  at  Montreal,  Canada,  and  in  St.  Francis  Xavier's  College,  in 
New  York  city,  receiving  from  the  latter  institution  the  degree  of  A.  B.  upon 
his  graduation  in  1877.  Three  years  later  he  was  selected  by  his  alma  mater 
to  address  the  graduating  class  of  1880,  at  Chickering  Hall,  New  York  city. 
This  is  considered  a  great  honor  by  the  alumni,  and  the  recognition  of  Mr. 
Treanor's  ability  in  this  manner  was  most  fitting  and  well  deserved.  On 
leaving  school  he  became  associated  with  his  father  in  the  stone  business,  a 
connection  that  was  continued  for  several  years.  Later  he  was  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Hurst  &  Treanor  and  is  now  the  junior  member  of  the  firm  of 
J.  J.  &  F.  P.  Treanor.  Their  business  has  grown  to  extensive  proportions 
and  brings  to  them  a  handsome  income.  They  are  accounted  among  the 
leaders  of  the  stone  trade  in  the  metropolis,  and  at  the  present  writing,  in 
the  spring  of  1899,  Mr.  Treanor  is  in  the  employ  of  the  corporation  counsel, 
Mr.  Clark,  of  New  York  city,  in  charge  of  the  construction  of  the  Empire 
City  Trotting  track,  at  Yonkers,  which  will  be  the  finest  track  in  the  world 
when  completed.  He  possesses  keen  discrimination  in  business  affairs, 
marked  enterprise  and  sound  judgment  and  his  well  directed  efforts  have 
brought  him  a  most  creditable  and  gratifying  success. 

But  while  Mr.  Treanor  enjoys  a  most  enviable  reputation  in  commercial 
circles,  he  is  probably  better  known  throughout  the  state  in  connection  with 
his  political  labors.  His  knowledge  of  the  issues  of  the  day  is  broad  and 
comprehensive,  and  his  opinions  are  the  result  of  careful  deliberation.  In 
1879,  when  only  twenty-three  years  of  age,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
general  assembly  from  the  seventeenth  district  of  New  York  city,  receiving 
a  majority  of  two  thousand,  when  the  year  before  there  had  been  a  Repub- 
lican majority  of  seven  hundred  and  one.  He  served  as  the  only  Democratic 
member  on  the  committee  of  cities  from  New  York,  that  year,  and  with  the 
exception  of  Theodore  Roosevelt,  the  present  governor,  was  the  youngest 
member  of  that  legislature.  He  was  the  only  Democratic  member  appointed 
by  the  speaker  on  the  committee  to  investigate  the  street-cleaning  depart- 
ment   of    New    York    city,    and   following  their  report    many  changes    and 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  959 

reforms  were  effected.  In  1881  he  was  elected  as  a  Tammany  candidate 
from  the  old  eleventh  senatorial  district,  of  New  York,  the  largest  district  in 
the  city  at  that  time,  extending  from  the  thirtieth  district  to  Harlem  river, 
including  the  whole  of  the  annexed  district  from  the  Harlem  district  to 
Long  Island  sound  and  the  Yonkers  line.  His  opponents  were  Senator  T. 
E.  C.  Ecclecine,  the  regular  Democratic  nominee,  and  Steve  Van  Rensselaer, 
the  Republican  candidate,  known  as  the  "silver-tongued  lawyer."  He  was 
elected  by  a  majority  of  five  thousand,  when  the  year  previous  the  district 
had  given  a  Republican  majority  of  thirty-five  hundred.  He  was  at  that 
time  the  youngest  man  ever  elected  state  senator  in  New  York,  being  only 
twenty-six  years  of  age.  He  served  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  com- 
merce and  navigation,  also  of  internal  affairs,  and  was  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee on  cities.  In  connection  with  Senator  Grady,  he  was  credited  with 
accomplishing  the  famous  deadlock  which  lasted  for  seven  weeks  before  the 
organization  of  the  senate.  In  1884  he  was  again  tendered  the  nomination 
for  senator,  but  declined  to  accept  on  account  of  business  reasons.  He  was 
once  appointed  a  member  of  the  police  board  by  Mayor  J.  H.  Bell,  and 
was  offered  re-appointment  by  Mayor  J.  H.  Weller.  He  refused  the  honor, 
but  continued  a  member  of  the  board  of  health,  being  three  times  re-appoint- 
ed to  that  board  and  serving  throughout  all  the  legislative  changes  which 
occurred  from  the  time  of  its  organization.  Upon  the  retirement  of  W.  H. 
Paddock  from  the  presidency  of  the  police  board,  Mr.  Treanor  was  elected 
his  successor,  in  which  capacity  he  has  served  up  to  the  present  time,  hav- 
ing been  reappointed  in  October,  1897,  for  another  term  of  four  years,  which 
will  continue  until  1901.  At  the  last  election  he  received  thirteen  out  of 
fourteen  votes  cast,  a  fact  which  indicates  iq  no  uncertain  manner  the  faith- 
fulness which  marked  his  discharge  of  duty. 

In  1880  Mr.  Treanor  was  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic  national  con- 
vention, which  nominated  Hancock  for  the  presidency.  In  1882  be  was  a 
delegate  to  the  state  convention  which  nominated  Grover  Cleveland  for  the 
position  of  governor  of  New  York,  and  was  again  a  delegate  in  the  state  con- 
ventions of  1884,  1885  and  1898.  He  has  frequently  been  a  delegate  to  the 
county  conventions,  and  was  chairman  thereof  in  1896.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  original  commission  which  drafted  the  bill  for  the  creation  of  the  pres- 
ent department  of  public  works  of  Yonkers,  organized  in  1894.  By  Mr.  Clark, 
corporation  counsel  of  New  York  city,  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  a  com- 
mission of  three  members  to  appraise  claims  for  damages  amounting  to  over 
a  million  dollars  done  to  property  along  the  Bronx  river,  due  to  drainage  for 
Kensico  dam.  The  first  award,  as  decreed  by  the  court  of  appeals,  required 
the  city  to  pay  only  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  He  was  also  a 
.member  of  the  board  of  health  that  destroyed  the  notorious  unsanitary  dams 


960  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

on  the  Nepperhan  river.  He  is  now  chairman  of  the  third-ward  Democratic 
general  committee  and  also  of  its  executive  committee,  and  belongs  to  the 
Democratic  City  Club,  of  New  York  city.  Mr.  Treanor  was  governor  of 
the  Palisade  Boat  Club  for  eight  years  and  vice-president  for  three  years, 
and  is  a  gentleman  of  social  qualities  and  genial  disposition,  popular  in  club, 
commercial  and  political  circles.  Of  scholarly  attainments,  broad  culture 
and  genuine  worth,  he  has  risen  to  a  position  of  prominence  in  the  Empire 
state  and  is  accorded  the  admiration  and  respect  which  he  justly  deserves. 
In  October,  1882,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Treanor  and  Miss 
Agnes  O'Connor,  and  to  them  have  been  born  two  sons  and  two  daughters: 
Mary,  William  J.,  Gladys  M.  and  Frank  P. 


Mrs.   FLORENCE  HILL. 


The  Florence  Hotel  of  Tarrytown,  unquestionably  one  of  the  most  pop- 
ular hostelries  of  Westchester  county,  is  finely  situated  upon  a  height  over- 
looking the  Hudson  river  and  much  of  the  town,  and  its  advantages  of  loca- 
tion are  obvious,  as,  at  the  same  time  it  is  on  Broadway,  a  macadamized 
and  well  kept  street,  along  which  many  of  the  most  beautiful  and  attractive 
homes  of  the  wealthy  are  built.  The  peculiar  beauties  of  Tarrytown  have 
often  been  told,  in  song  and  story,  and  visitors  delight  to  haunt  the  scenes- 
made  immortal  by  Washington  Irving.  From  the  great  metropohs  come 
hither  the  busy  people,  wearied  with  the  ceaseless  struggle  for  wealth  and 
position,  and  find  in  the  quiet  peace  and  loveliness  of  nature  hereabouts  the 
rest  and  solace  they  crave.  Among  these  throngs  are  to  be  found  many  of 
the  patrons  of  the  Florence  Hotel, — many,  too,  who  are  periodical  guests, 
for,  having  once  come,  they  are  almost  certain  to  do  so  again,  finding,  as- 
they  do  here,  all  of  the  accustomed  appointments  of  modern  ways  of  living. 

The  Florence  Hotel  is  owned  by  Colonel  William  J.  Ryan,  of  Tarry- 
town, well  known  here  and  in  New  York  city,  as  he  deals  extensively  in  real 
estate  and  is  the  possessor  of  numerous  choice  pieces  of  property  in  the 
metropolis.  He  is  a  native  of  the  Empire  state  and  grew  to  maturity  here. 
Commencing  his  business  career  with  but  little  means,  he  nevertheless 
accumulated  a  snug  fortune  within  a  few  years,  by  the  exercise  of  unusually 
good  judgment  and  enterprise.  For  years  he  dealt  extensively  in  fine  horses 
and  live  stock,  and  from  time  to  time  he  made  judicious  investments  in  real 
estate.  He  leased  the  old  Franklin  House  in  Tarrytown,  and  after  thor- 
oughly renovating  and  changing  it  from  cellar  to  garret,  and  refurnishing  it 
with  modern  fittings,  changed  the  name  to  the  one  which  it  now  bears — the 
Florence  Hotel.  All  kinds  of  expensive,  practical  improvements  in  the  way 
of  plumbing,  steam  and  gas  fitting  are  to  be  found  in  the  establishment,  and 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  961 

everything  about  the  place  tends  toward  the  comfort  of  the  guests.  Over 
ten  thousand  dollars  has  recently  been  expended  in  the  re-fitting  of  the 
house,  and  it  is  the  intention  of  the  proprietor  to  maintain  a  high  standard 
of  excellence  in  every  department.  During  the  summer  of  1898  it  was  noted 
that  numerous  distinguished  citizens  of  New  York  aad  other  places  stayed 
for  a  period  at  the  Florence,  and  among  the  number,  a  few  names,  taken  at 
random,  from  the  hotel  register,  may  be  mentioned:  Lieutenant  Kleck,  of 
the  Seventy -first  New  York  Regiment;  Calvin  W.  Smith;  Lieutenant  Keene, 
of  the  Fourteenth  New  York  Volunteer  Infantry;  Captain  Evans;  Hon.  J.  K. 
P.  Hull,  of  Ridgeway  Park;  E.  M.  C.  Elbert  and  J.  Fisher,  of  New  York 
city. 

Much  of  the  popularity  of  the  Florence  Hotel  is  due,  without  doubt,  to 
the  lady  who  has  it  in  charge  as  manager — Mrs.  Florence  Hill.  She  is  a 
native  of  New  York  city,  receiving  her  education  in  its  superior  public  schools, 
and,  upon  arriving  at  womanhood,  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Hill,  who  died 
several  years  ago.  Their  only  child,  Charles  Hill,  a  bright,  promising  boy, 
is  now  attending  school  at  Tarrytown.  Mrs.  Hill's  mother  is  now  the  wife 
of  Colonel  Ryan,  who,  as  previously  stated,  is  the  owner  of  the  Florence 
Hotel. 

Mrs.  Hill  personally  supervises  the  various  departments  of  the  hotel,  and 
to  her  keen  foresight  and  genuine  business  ability  the  success  of  the  enter- 
prise must  be  attributed.  Everything  which  can  be  done,  conducing  to  the 
comfort  and  pleasure  of  visitors  is  promptly  attended  to,  and  the  neatness 
and  homelike  appearance  of  the  rooms  is  frequently  commented  upon. 
While  the  hotel  is  especially  patronized  in  summer,  when  the  beautiful  scen- 
ery of  the  river  and  neighborhood  is  charming  to  any  one,  but  particularly  so 
to  the  inhabitant  of  the  hot,  dusty  cities,  each  season  of  the  year  has  its  own 
peculiar  loveliness  here,  the  dainty,  fresh  greenness  of  the  spring-time,  the 
autumnal  tints,  and  the  pure  snow  and  ice  of  winter  along  the  Hudson, 
attracting  fully  as  much  admiration  from  the  sight-seer  and  traveler  as  the 
full-blown  glories  of  mid-summer. 


JAMES  ROSS. 

The  popular  and  efficient  postmaster  of  New  Rochelle,  New  York,  has 
for  several  years  been  connected  with  the  post-office  and  held  other  local 
offices  of  trust  and  responsibility,  and  is  one  of  the  leading  and  most  public- 
spirited  young  men  of  the  town. 

Mr.  Ross  is  a  native  of  New  Rochelle,  was  born  December  19,  i86o,  and 
is  a  son  of  James  G.  and  Catherine  M.  Ross,  natives  of  Scotland,  who  have 
for  many  years  made  their  home  at  New  Rochelle.      Here  for  a  long  term  of 


61 


962  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

years  the  senior  Mr.  Ross  has  been  superintendent  of  the  Beechwood  ceme- 
tery. 

In  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  James  Ross  received  a  good  edu- 
cation, and  on  leaving  school  accepted  a  position  in  the  New  Rochelle  post- 
office,  under  Benjamin  Badeau.  He  continued  in  the  office  under  Postmas- 
ters A.  M.  Dederer  and  William  V.  Molloy,  serving  as  assistant  postmaster. 
In  January,  1898,  he  was  appointed  postmaster,  his  appointment  was  con- 
firmed April  12,  1898,  and  May  ist  he  assumed  the  duties  of  the  oiBce,  for 
which  his  long  term  of  service  has  so  ably  fitted  him.  Other  offices  filled  by 
him  are  those  of  clerk  of  the  village,  trustee  and  assessor,  and  in  the  last 
named  office  he  is  now  serving  bis  third  term,  each  term  covering  a  period  of 
three  years.  For  the  past  seven  years  he  has  been  chief  of  the  fire  depart- 
ment. Fraternally,  he  is  identified  with  the  Masonic  order,  and  is  a  worthy 
member  of  Huguenot  Lodge,  No.  46,  F.  &  A.  M.      Mr.  Ross  is  unmarried. 


LEMAN  B.   TREADWELL,   Sr. 

As  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Scott  &  Treadwell,  the  subject  of  this 
review  is  enjoying  a  successful  and  lucrative  practice  at  the  bar  of  New  York 
city,  with  office  at  No.  91  Nassau  street.  He  is  a  native  of  Westchester 
county,  born  in  Hartsdale,  December  24,  1842,  and  is  a  son  of  David  and 
Mary  H.  (Underbill)  Treadwell,  who  also  were  born  in  the  same  county,  the 
former  in  New  Rochelle,  March  8,  181 1,  the  latter  in  the  town  of  Green- 
burg,  in  May,  1804.  The  father  was  first  a  farm  laborer,  then  a  cartman  in 
New  York  city,  then  &  butcher,  and  later  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  died  at  White  Plains,  New  York,  in  December,  1875,  having 
gained  a  decided  financial  success.  On  both  sides  our  subject  is  descended 
from  good  old  Revolutionary  stock.  His  maternal  grandfather,  Gilbert 
Underbill,  a  native  of  Westchester  county,  was  a  baby  in  the  cradle  during 
the  Revolutionary  war,  and  was  wounded  by  a  British  trooper.  Captain  John 
Treadwell,  the  paternal  grandfather,  held  a  captain's  commission  in  the  Con- 
tinental army,  and  was  one  of  the  men  Benedict  Arnold  tried  to  surrender  at 
West  Point.  He  was  born  at  Long  Island,  and  was  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  East  Chester,  this  county.  He  was  descended  from  Thomas  Treadwell, 
who  at  one  time  was  lieutenant-governor  of  New  York  and  judge  of  one  of 
the  higher  courts.     His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  DeVeau. 

Leman  B.  Treadwell,  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch,  was  princi- 
pally educated  in  the  common  schools,  but  also  attended  a  private  school 
taught  by  a  Mr.  St.  Clair,  an  Episcopal  clergyman.  He  then  learned  civil 
engineering,  and  also  took  up  the  study  of  law,  in  Moline,  Illinois,  and  later 
with   Charles  Whitaker,  of   Davenport,   Iowa.     At  the  latter  place  he  was 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  963 

admitted  to  the  bar  in  1875,  and  three  years  later  returned  to  New  York 
state  and  opened  an  office  in  Tarrytown,  remaining  there  two  years  and  a 
half.  For  the  same  length  of  time  he  also  engaged  in  practice  in  Purdy,  New 
York,  but  in  1884  removed  to  New  York  city,  and  from  that  time  until  1886 
was  in  partnership  with  James  Henderson.  In  1897  he  formed  a  partnership 
-with  Henry  W.  Scott,  ex-United  States  district  judge  of  Oklahoma  territory, 
and  they  are  now  enjoying  an  excellent  practice,  which  is  well  merited.  As  a 
lawyer  Mr.  Treadwell  understands  the  underlying  principles  on  which  law  is 
founded,  and  as  an  advocate  he  is  earnest,  forcible,  logical  and  eloquent. 
Socially  he  is  a  member  of  Dobbs  Ferry  Lodge,  No.  555,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
Mount  Vernon  Chapter,  No.  228,  R.  A.  M. 

Mr.  Treadwell  was  first  married,  in  1866,  to  Miss  Augusta  Ward,  of  White 
Plains,  New  York,  who  died  leaving  one  son,  Adrian  U.,  now  a  resident  of 
Rahway,  New  Jersey.  In  1876  he  married  Miss  Phcebe  Dayton,  of  Chap- 
paqua,  Westchester  county,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Dayton,  and  to  them  have 
been  born  two  sons:  Leman  B.,  Jr.,  is  now  an  editorial  writer  on  the  East 
•Chester  Citizen-Bulletin,  of  Tuckahoe,  New  York.  This  son  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1877,  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  remained  with  his 
father  until  1895,  when  he  began  work  in  the  office  of  the  East  Chester  Citi- 
zen-Bulletin, and  in  the  absence  of  the  proprietor  he  was  managing  editor. 
Jesse  Dayton,  the  second  son,  is  also  employed  in  the  office  of  the  Citizen-Bul- 
letin, at  Tuckahoe. 

JUDGE  SMITH  LENT. 

Judge  Smith  Lent  is  a.  prominent  member  of  the  Westchester  county 
bar  and  has  been  a  resident  of  Sing  Sing  since  1875.  He  was  born  in  Cort- 
Jandt,  Westchester  county,  New  York,  December  i,  1850,  a  son  of  Isaac  H. 
and  Jane  (McCoy)  Lent,  both  now  deceased.  He  received  his  early  training 
in  the  district  schools  of  his  native  county,  and  after  completing  the  course 
therein  prescribed  he  entered  the  State  Normal  School,  where  he  graduated 
in  due  time,  his  diploma  bearing  date  1873.  Following  this  he  accepted  a 
position  as  teacher  in  a  high  school  near  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  and 
taught  there  and  at  Highland  Falls,  Orange  county.  New  York,  and  in  1874 
lie  entered  a  law  school,  in  which  he  was  graduated  in  1875.  That  same  year 
he  came  to  Sing  Sing  and  continued  the  pursuit  of  his  legal  studies  in  the 
office  of  Wilson  &  Baker.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  May,  1875,  and 
in  October,   1876,  opened  an  office  of  his  own. 

Judge  Lent  is  a  Republican  and  has  always  been  active  in  politics,  hav- 
ing at  heart  the  best  interests  of  the  people.  He  was  in  1895  elected  to  the 
•office  of  county  judge. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  married,  in  1879,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Car- 


964  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

rick,  a  native  of  Albany,  New  York,  and  their  union  has  been  blessed  with 
two  children,  Rosmond  and  John. 

The  Judge  has  for  a  number  of  years  been  affiliated  with  several  fra- 
ternal organizations,  including  the  Masonic,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  Knights  of  Pythias.  In  the  Masonic  order  he  has  advanced  to 
the  thirty-second  degree  and  has  been  an  ardent  Mason  from  the  time  he 
took  his  initiatory  degrees  in  the  blue  lodge.  He  is  a  member  of  Trinity 
Episcopal  church. 

GEORGE  F.  ALLEN. 

This  gentleman,  a  successful  merchant  of  Millwood,  finds  an  appropri- 
ate place  in  the  history  of  those  men  of  business  and  enterprise  in  Westches- 
ter county  whose  force  of  character,  sterling  integrity,  fortitude  amid  discour- 
agements and  good  sense  in  the  management  of  complicated  affairs  have  not 
only  advanced  individual  interests,  but  have  materially  promoted  the  welfare 
of  the  community  in  which  they  reside.  He  is  truly  a  self-made  man,  being 
the  architect  and  builder  of  his  own  fortune. 

Mr.  Allen  was  born  in  New  Castle  township,  this  county,  September  30, 
1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew  Jackson  Allen,  a  well  known  merchant  of  Chap- 
paqua,  who  also  is  a  native  of  Westchester,  born  in  1829.  His  grandparents 
were  Henry  and  Hester  (Brady)  Allen,  the  former  a  son  of  Robert  and  Mary 
(Funk)  Allen,  and  the  latter  a  daughter  of  Reuben  and  Elizabeth  (Kniffin) 
Brady.  Henry  Allen  followed  the  occupations  of  blacksmithing  and  farming, 
was  a  strong  Democrat  in  politics,  and  held  several  offices,  including  those 
of  school  superintendent,  township  clerk  and  supervisor.  Religiously,  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  In  his  family  were  four  children, 
namely:  Andrew  Jackson;  Henry,  a  farmer  of  New  Castle  township;  Mary, 
a  resident  of  the  same  township;  and  Jeremiah,  deceased. 

A.  Jackson  Allen,  father  of  our  subject,  was  educated  in  the  district  schools 
of  New  Castle  township,  and  in  1861  embarked  in  merchandising  at  Chappa- 
qua,  where  he  engaged  in  business  in  that  line  until  his  death,  in  February,  1899. 
He  had  always  been  an  active  supporter  of  the  Dempcratic  party,  served  as 
a  delegate  to  its  various  conventions,  and  was  honored  with  a  number  of 
local  offices,  being  township  clerk,  commissioner  of  highways,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1898  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  a  position  he  filled  in  a  most 
creditable  manner.  With  his  family  he  attended  the  Friends  church.  In  1857 
he  married  Miss  Almira  Reynolds,  a  daughter  of  Alva  and  Phoebe  Ann 
(Field)  Reynolds,  and  to  them  were  born  four  children:  George  F. ,  of 
this  review;  Jeremiah,  a  farmer  of  Yorktown,  Westchester  county;  Alva,  a 
resident  of  Millwood;  and  Hester,  wife  of  David  Hunt,  of  Williams  Bridge. 

During  his  boyhood  and  youth  George  F.  Allen  received  a  good  educa- 


^  ^^2M^ 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  965 

tion,  which  has  well  fitted  him  for  the  responsible  duties  of  business  life. 
In  1883  he  began  business  in  a  small  way  at  Millwood,  but  now  enjoys  an 
extensive  and  profitable  trade  as  a  dealer  in  general  merchandise,  flour  and 
feed,  and  he  is  also  successfully  engaged  in  the  livery  business,  having  a  barn 
twenty-eight  by  sixty  feet,  and  carriage  room  twenty-eight  by  thirty  feet. 
He  has  a  fine  line  of  carriages  and  some  excellent  roadsters.  He  carries  a 
full  and  complete  stock  of  general  merchandise,  and  occupies  a  building 
twenty-five  by  fifty  feet  and  two  stories  in  height.  Besides  these  he  has 
three  feed  stores,  and  a  new  store  house  forty  by  fifty  feet  in  dimensions  and 
built  in  1899;  another,  twenty-five  by  thirty-two  feet;  and  the  third,  twenty- 
five  by  thirty  feet.  He  has  on  hand  at  all  times  from  one  to  ten  car  loads  of 
feed,  conducts  a  large  coal  yard,  and  does  over  six  thousand  dollars'  worth  of 
business  per  annum.  He  is  an  enterprising,  wide-awake  business  man  of 
known  reliability,  and  the  success  that  he  has  achieved  in  life  is  certainly 
well  deserved. 

In  1886  Mr.  Allen  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Anna  Vantassel,  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  Vantassel,  and  three  children  grace  their  union:  Ruth, 
George  F.,  Jr.,  and  Anna.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Allen  is  a  Democrat, 
and  in  religious  faith  he  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


REV.  JOHN  B.   CREEDEN. 

Rev.  John  B.  Creeden,  the  rector  of  St.  Augustine's  Roman  Catholic 
church,  in  which  charge  he  has  been  for  nearly  ten  years,  was  born  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  February  27,  1856,  his  father  and  mother  being  James 
and  Mary  Barry  Creeden,  who  came  to  this  country  from  Ireland  in  the 
year  1845. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  in  St.  Briget's  school  at  the 
corner  of  Eighth  street  and  Avenue  B,  New  York,  and  opposite  Tompkins 
square.  After  finishing  his  course  there  he  went  to  De  la  Salle  Academy,  in 
Second  street.  New  York,  which  was  the  pioneer  academy  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  denomination  and  under  the  charge  of  the  Christian  Brothers.  He 
completed  a  full  course  there  and  then  entered  Manhattan  College  and  was 
duly  graduated  in  the  class  of  1874.  After  spending  two  years  enjoying  a 
rest,  he  entered  St.  Joseph's  Seminary  at  Troy.  This  was  the  seminary  for 
the  archdiocese  until  that  at  Dunwoodie  was  established  a  few  years  ago. 
He  remained  there  four  and  a  half  years,  and  was  ordained  December 
18,  1880. 

Father  Creeden's  first  appointment  was  St.  Mary's  church,  in  Pough- 
keepsie,  where  he  remained  eight  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  was 
appointed,  in  February,  1889,  pastor  at  Warwick  and  Florida,  two  towns  in 


966  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Orange  county,  near  Goshen,  where  he  remained  one  year,  when  he  was 
transferred  to  St.  Augustine's  church,  in  this  village,  in  February,  1890,  suc- 
ceeding Rev.  P.  W.  Tandy.  After  being  here  a  year  or  so  he  found  it 
necessary  to  make  certain  repairs  to  the  church  edifice,  which  he  had  made, 
and  decorated  it  inside  and  out,  at  an  expense  of  about  ten  thousand  dollars, 
making  it  one  of  the  handsomest  edifices  on  the  Hudson  river.  Before  he 
quit  the  task  the  church  was  put  in  perfect  condition.  It  was  found  neces- 
sary to  put  in  several  new  stained-glass  windows,  two  of  which  came  from 
the  celebrated  Meyers  at  Munich,  at  a  cost  of  .about  sixteen  hundred  dollars. 
The  putting  in  of  new  pews  and  floors  and  the  repainting  of  the  interior  and 
exterior  occupied  considerable  time.  A  steam-heating  plant  was  also  con- 
structed to  heat  the  church,  school  and  residence. 

In  September,  1892,  he  established  the  parochial  school,  which  has 
proved  a  very  great  success.  It  was  opened  with  the  Sisters  of  Charity  as 
teachers,  with  about  two  hundred  and  seventy-three  pupils.  It  now  has 
three  hundred  and  twenty-five  pupils,  and  the  steady  increase  has  made  it 
necessary  to  enlarge  the  accommodations  by  building  an  addition  to  the  old 
school  building,  which  now  contains  six  commodious  class-rooms.  This 
school  saves  the  village  a  large  sum  of  money  yearly,  since  if  they  were  not 
being  educated  by  the  Sisters  they  would  have  to  attend  the  village  schools, 
which  now  have  about  all  the  children  they  can  take  care  of.  The  cost  of 
all  this  teaching,  etc.,  of  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  pupils — which  is 
considerable,  estimated  by  what  the  same  number  cost  in  our  public  schools 
— is  entirely  borne  by  the  Catholics  of  the  parish,  who  also  cheerfully  pay  the 
taxes  to  support  the  public  schools,  which  they  do  not  use.  Of  course  this 
comes  very  high  to  a  great  many  of  the  Catholic  taxpayers,  all  of  whom  are 
not  blessed  with  much  of  this  world's  riches,  but  "where  there's  a  will 
there's  a  way." 

Since  Father  Creeden  has  been  in  this  charge  he  and  his  assistants  have 
baptized  about  eighty  converts  and  administered  the  first  sacraments  to  and 
prepared  for  confirmation  about  seven  hundred.  An  average  of  about  fifty 
a  year  have  died,  including  infants.  Father  Creeden  has  had  the  hearty  and 
cordial  support  of  his  people  in  everything  he  has  undertaken,  and  says  they 
have  subscribed  liberally  for  the  improvements,  repairs,  etc.  One  year  the 
church's  income  was  twelve  thousand  dollars.  This  is  a  very  large  sum  when 
it  is  considered  that  his  flock  is  made  up  almost  entirely  of  people  in  very 
moderate  circumstances. 

Father  Creeden  is  ably  assisted  by  Rev.  William  T.  St.  John  and  Rev. 
Thomas  Smyth,  the  latter  having  been  a  popular  curate  in  the  church  some 
years  ago,  but,  being  broken  down  in  health,  is  stopping  with  Father  Creeden 
to  recuperate,  and  we  are  glad  to  report  he  is  now  almost  his  former  self 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  967 

again.  Only  one  curate  is  allowed  the  parish.  The  number  of  Catholics  in 
the  parish  of  St.  Augustine's  is  about  two  thousand,  the  number  of  families 
over  four  hundred  and  the  Sunday-school  has  over  five  hundred  pupils.  The 
societies  connected  with  the  church  are  the  Holy  Name,  for  men;  the  Chil- 
dren of  Mary,  for  young  women;  the  St.  Aloysius  Sodality,  for  boys;  and  the 
Sodality  of  the  Holy  Angels,  for  the  girls;  besides  the  League  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  and  the  Rosary  Society,  intended  for  all  the  parishioners. 

In  addition  to  the  regular  church  or  parish  work.  Father  Creeden  is 
the  chaplain  of  the  Catholics  at  the  prison,  and  either  he  or  his  curate 
attends  there  every  Sunday  morning  to  celebrate  mass  and  administer  the 
sacraments.  They  also  attend  those  of  the  Catholic  faith  who  are  doomed 
to  the  electric  chair. 

From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  Father  Creeden  is  a  very  busy  man.  He 
is  a  gentleman  of  fine  scholarly  attainments,  and  one  with  whom  it  is  a  pleas- 
ure to  converse.  May  he  long  be  blessed  with  good  health  and  strength  to 
continue  his  good  work  in  this  parish! 


ELLWOOD  BURDSALL. 


In  past  ages  the  history  of  a  country  was  the  record  of  wars  and  con- 
quests; to-day  it  is  the  record  of  commercial  activity,  and  those  whose  names 
are  foremost  in  its  annals  are  the  leaders  in  business  circles.  The  conquests 
now  made  are  those  of  mind  over  matter,  not  man  over  man,  and  the  victor 
is  he  who  can  successfully  establish,  control  and  operate  extensive  business 
interests.  This  being  so,  the  name  of  Burdsall  should  be  found  among  the 
foremost  in  the  history  of  Westchester  county,  where  it  has  long  stood  as  the 
representative  of  one  of  the  largest  industrial  concerns  in  this  part  of  the 
state. 

EUwood  Burdsall  was  the  senior  member  of  the  well  known  firm  of  Rus- 
sell, Burdsall  &  Ward,  bolt  manufacturers  of  Port  Chester;  and  his  connec- 
tion with  the  establishment  of  American  manufacturers  on  the  markets  of  the 
world,  the  development  of  an  important  industry,  his  wide  acquaintance  in 
the  trade  and  his  personal  worth  gave  him  a  position  of  exceptional  promin- 
ence in  business  circles.  His  reputation  was  unassailable  and  he  commanded 
the  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 

A  native  of  New  Jersey,  he  was  born  in  New  Brunswick  on  the  i8th  of 
July,  1 8 14.  His  ancestors  were  among  the  early  English  settlers  of  this 
country,  and  on  his  father's  side  they  were  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 
while  on  his  mother's  side  they  were  of  the  Presbyterian  faith.  His  maternal 
grandfather  served  in  the  Continental  army  during  the  Revolutionary  war 
and  participated  in  the  ever  memorable  battles  of  Trenton  and  Monmouth. 


968  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

After  receiving  a  common-school  education,  such  as  was  afforded  in  the 
neighborhood  in  which  he  lived,  Ellwood  Burdsall,  whose  father  had  died  in 
1823,  when  he  was  but  nine  years  of  age,  left  his  native  state  and  went  to 
Philadelphia,  where  he  began  learning  the  carpenter's  trade.  This  was  in 
1829,  and  he  was  a  youth  of  fifteen  years.  In  1835  he  went  to  Appalachi- 
cola,  Florida,  where  he  erected  a  number  of  residences  and  warehouses  and 
made  his  home  for  some  time.  In  1837  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  city 
council  of  that  place.  Shortly  afterward  the  yellow  fever  broke  out  and 
prevailed  for  some  time  with  unusual  fatality.  Many  of  the  inhabitants 
became  panic-stricken  and  fled  from  the  city,  among  the  fugitives  being  all 
the  members  of  the  city  government  with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Boot,  city 
treasurer,  and  Mr.  Burdsall.  The  latter  organized  a  hospital  outside  the 
town,  and  with  the  aid  of  other  courageous  men  gathered  the  sick  together 
and  placed  them  in  wards,  where  he  attended  them  more  or  less  frequently 
every  day.  For  nearly  two  months  the  fever  continued  to  rage,  little  busi- 
ness being  transacted  during  the  time,  and  the  dead  were  buried  without 
funeral  services.  Mr.  Burdsall  certainly  displayed  great  bravery  and  forti- 
tude in  his  noble  work,  but  providence  seemed  to  watch  over  him  and  he 
was  spared. 

Leaving  Florida  in  1844,  he  came  to  New  York  and  in  partnership  with 
William  E.  Ward  founded  the  bolt-manufacturing  business  at  Port  Chester. 
The  original  name  of  the  firm  was  Burdsall  &  Ward,  which  was  changed  to 
Russell,  Burdsall  &  Ward  by  the  addition  of  Isaac  D.  Russell  to  the  firm, 
and  under  that  style  operations  have  been  carried  on  extensively  and  success- 
fully since  1845.  There  has  never  been  a  strike  in  the  shops  nor  the  mani- 
festation of  any  discontent  among  the  employes,  a  fact  which  indicates  fair 
treatment  on  the  part  of  the  proprietors,  the  payment  of  good  living  wages, 
and  courteous  consideration  from  all.  A  library  and  hall  were  built  and 
equipped  by  the  company  for  the  benefit  of  the  employes,  and  a  guild  was 
formed  in  the  shop  by  which  a  benefit  was  paid  to  the  families  of  deceased 
employes. 

Other  business  interests  also  prospered  and  grew  under  the  capable  man- 
agement and  direction  of  Ellwood  Burdsall.  At  the  organization  of  the  First 
National  Bank,  of  Port  Chester,  he  was  elected  president  and  was  re-elected 
annually,  serving  in  that  position  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  Owing  to  his 
wise,  conservative  methods  the  bank  attained  an  enviable  position  in  finan- 
cial circles  and  to  his  efforts  is  attributable  much  of  its  success.  It  was  also 
through  his  instrumentality  that  the  new  bank  building  was  erected.  He  took 
a  deep  interest  in  education,  social  and  moral  interests  and  movements  tend- 
ing to  the  betterment  of  mankind,  and  his  labors  largely  promoted  their  wel- 
fare.     In    1863   he   was  elected   a  manager  of  Swarthmore  College,  located 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

near  Philadelphia,  an  institution  under  the  care  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 
and  filled  the  office  ten  years,  when  he  resigned.  He  was  also  the  manager 
of  the  Chappaqua  Mountain  Institute,  near  Chappaqua,  Westchester  county, 
belonging  to  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  served  in  that  position  from  1867 
until  his  death.  He  was  likewise  connected  with  a  number  of  other  enter- 
prises, some  of  which  were  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home;  others  located 
elsewhere.  His  influence  was  widely  felt  in  social  and  business  circles 
throughout  the  county,  and  especially  among  the  Friends,  of  which  religious 
organization  he  was  a  prominent  member.  He  accumulated  a  handsome 
property,  and  his  charities  were  many  and  unostentatious.  The  esteem  in 
-which  he  was  held  by  his  employes  and  the  people  of  Port  Chester  and  sur- 
rounding towns  is  evidenced  in  the  many  affectionate  tributes  which  have 
been  paid  to  his  memory.  He  died  December  30,  1889,  honored  and 
respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  Thus  passed  to  his  reward  a  man  of  noble 
character,  one  who  acted  well  his  part  in  life,  and  who  gained  and  retained 
the  confidence,  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellow  men. 

In  1851,  Ellwood  Burdsall  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Hannah  G. 
Haviland,  a  daughter  of  John  Haviland,  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  fam- 
ilies of  the  town  of  Harrison,  Westchester  county.  She,  too,  was  a  faithful 
member  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  In  the  family  were  three  children:  Rich- 
ard H.  and  Ellwood,  twins;  and  Anna  C,  now  the  wife  of  John  D.  Griffin, 
of  New  York.  The  sons  seem  to  have  inherited  their  father's  business  ability 
and  are  now  prominent  and  influential  citizens  of  Port  Chester. 

Richard  H.  and  Ellwood  Burdsall  were  born  in  the  town  of  Harrison, 
September  20,  1856,  and  having  attended  the  public  schools  continued  their 
education  in  Swarthmore  College  at  Philadelphia.  Later  they  entered  Cor- 
nell University,  taking  a  thorough  course  in  mechanics  as  well  as  in  other 
branches.  They  then  entered  the  extensive  works  of  the  firm  of  Russell, 
Burdsall  &  Ward.  Richard  H.  is  now  treasurer  of  the  bolt  and  nut 
works,  which  is  one  of  the  largest  industries  of  the  kind  in  the  United  States. 
He  also  succeeded  his  father  in  the  presidency  of  the  First  National  Bank, 
at  Port  Chester,  and  is  equally  prominent  in  social  circles,  being  very  popular 
among  his  many  friends  and  acquaintances.  His  twin  brother,  Ellwood 
Burdsall,  at  their  father's  death,  succeeded  him  as  secretary  and  general 
agent  of  the  firm  of  Russell,  Burdsall  &  Ward,  and  now  devotes  the  greater 
part  of  his  time  to  the  construction  of  machinery.  He  is  also  president  of 
the  Cambridge  Manufacturing  Company,  at  Cambridge,  Maryland,  and  has 
marked  mechanical  ability,  while  his  management  in  business  affairs  and  his 
ability  and  integrity  are  all  in  conspicuous  evidence.  He  is  a  director  of  the 
First  National  Bank  at  Port  Chester  and  trustee  of  the  Savings  Bank  there. 

Ellwood  Burdsall  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Luella  T.  Morris,  of 


970  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Milton,  Indiana,  and  they  have  two  children, — Richard  Lloyd  and  E.  Morris.. 
In  manner  he  is  quiet  and  reserved,  but  his  sterling  worth  has  won  the  recog- 
nition of  many  friends.  He  is  deeply  interested  in  the  cause  of  education 
and  has  been  officially  connected  with  several  educational  institutions,  whose 
interests  have  been  promoted  through  his  efforts  in  their  behalf.  The  broth- 
ers are  both  public-spirited,  progressive  citizens,  giving  a  commendable  and 
practical  support  to  all  the  measures  tending  toward  the  betterment  of  man- 
kind and  the  promotion  of  the  material  interests  of  the  community  in  which 
they  reside.  Succeeding  to  their  father's  business,  they  have  manifested 
superior  executive  force,  keen  discrimination,  marked  energy  and  sound 
judgment  in  the  management  of  the  mammoth  interests  now  under  their  con- 
trol and  bear  an  unassailable  reputation  in  industrial  and  financial  circles. 


HENRY  A.   SIEBRECHT,  Jr. 

Henry  A.  Siebrecht,  Jr.,  one  of  the  most  enterprising  and  progressive 
business  men  of  Westchester  county,  is  the  junior  member  of  the  well-known 
firm  of  Siebrecht  &  Son,  florists  and  floral  decorators,  whose  main  office  is  on 
Fifth  avenue.  New  York  city.  They  also  have  a  branch  office  at  Newport, 
Rhode  Island,  while  their  home  nurseries,  known  as  the  Rose  Hill  Nurseries, 
are  located  at  New  Rochelle,  Westchester  county,  New  York,  and  their 
nurseries  are  at  Trinidad,  West  Indies.  The  present  business  was  established 
by  the  father,  Henry  A.  Siebrecht,  Sr. ,  in  1867,  and  conducted  by  him  until 
1887,  when  the  son  was  admitted  to  a  partnership,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Siebrecht  &  Son.  Their  local  nurseries  are  situated  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
from  the  village  of  New  Rochelle,  on  the  old  post  road  leading  to  White 
Plains,  and  with  the  farm  they  cover  an  area  of  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
acres.  There  are  twenty-eight  houses  of  palms,  one  of  these,  which  is  twenty 
by  two  hundred  and  forty  feet,  being  filled  with  the  Kentia  Belmorana,  show- 
ing the  largest  stock  of  this  palm  in  the  United  States.  Among  the  roses 
they  have  developed  is  the  Belle  Siebrecht,  which  has  become  very  popular, 
they  having  sold  over  two  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  plants  since  it  has  been 
put  upon  the  market.  They  also  have  the  largest  variety  of  ferns,  flowers 
and  plants  in  the  United  States  and  ship  to  all  parts  of  the  world,  doing  a 
large  export  business.  Many  orders  are  received  by  telegraph  and  all  receive 
prompt  attention. 

Henry  A.  Siebrecht,  Jr.,  who  is  one  of  the  most  thoroughly  versed  men 
of  America  in  the  care  and  culture  of  flowers  and  plants,  was  born  in  New 
York  city,  November  26,  1870,  and  is  the  oldest  son  of  Henry  A.  and  Emma 
(Riedj  Siebrecht.  The  father,  a  native  of  Gottingen,  Germany,  came  to  the 
United  States  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  having  previously  received  a  good 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  971 

education  in  his  native  land.  After  his  arrival  in  New  York,  he  was  employed 
by  different  parties  until  1867,  when  he  started. his  nurseries,  and  he  has  since 
been  most  actively  engaged  in  his  present  business,  with  an  office  in  New 
York,  from  which  the  greater  part  of  the  business  is  done.  In  his  line  he  is  per- 
haps more  widely  known  than  any  man  similarly  engaged  in  the  United  States. 
On  the  farm  during  the  busy  season  employment  is  furnished  to  from  fifty  to- 
seventy-five  men.  The  facilities  for  heating  by  steam  are  of  the  latest  and 
most  improved;  the  new  power  house  and  machine  shop  is  constructed  of 
stone,  and  supplied  with  three  large  boilers,  the  pipes  running  through  a  six- 
foot  tunnel  to  the  various  houses.  There  is  also  a  water  tower  and  every 
convenience  for  conducting  the  business  on  the  most  approved  methods. 

Henry  A.  Siebrecht,  Jr.,  married  Miss  Julia  Acker  Thompson,  a  grand- 
daughter of  the  late  William  Acker,  of  the  firm  of  Acker,  Merrell  &  Condit, 
of  New  York  city,  and  to  them  has  been  born  a  daughter,  Gertrude  M.  L. 

Socially  Mr.   Siebrecht  is  a  member  of  Huguenot  Lodge,   No.   46,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  and  Mt.  Vernon  Chapter,  No.  228,  R.  A.  M.,  while  religiously  he  is- 
a  member  of  St.  John's  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  to  which  his  parents 
also  belong.      In  business  circles  father  and  son  stand  deservedly  high,  and. 
those  who  know  them  personally  have  for  them  the  highest  regard. 


OSWALD  SANDERSON. 


For  the  past  eighteen  years  the  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch' 
has  been  a  resident  of  the  beautiful  town  of  Larchmont,  formerly  called 
Larchmont  Manor.  Favored  by  nature  beyond  most  of  the  picturesque- 
places  adjacent  to  Long  Island  Sound,  it  has  been  wonderfully  improved 
within  the  past  decade,  and  its  well  laid  out  streets  and  avenues,  fine  drive- 
ways and  mansions  make  this  one  of  the  most  desirable  of  sites  for  a  home. 
Mr.  Sanderson  has  been  one  of  the  most  influential  factors  in  bringing  this- 
result  to  pass,  and  his  faith  in  the  future  of  the  town  was  manifested  in  1880, 
when  he  erected  a  modern  residence  here  for  his  own  little  household.  From 
that  time  on  he  did  all  within  his  power  to  promote  the  welfare  of  Larch- 
mont, nor  has  he  ceased  in  his  patriotic  interest  in  whatsoever  tends  to  bene- 
fit the  place  or  its  citizens. 

Mr.  Sanderson  is  in  the  prime  of  early  manhood,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  London,  England,  in  1863.  The  parents  of  Mr.  Sanderson  were 
Richard  and  Sarah  (Hicks)  Sanderson,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Eng- 
land and  spent  their  entire  lives  in  that  country.  Our  subject  received  his 
education  in  his  native  land,  chiefly  in  private  schools,  and  was  a  bright, 
keen  student,  standing  at  the  head  of  his  classes.  In  1880  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  and,  soon  after  his  arrival  in  New  York  city,  was  employed 


972  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

by  the  Continental  Insurance  Company.  He  next  became  connected  with 
steamship  lines  and  gradually  advanced  in  the  business  until  he  is  now  the 
manager  of  several  ocean  transportation  companies.  He  has  an  office  in 
New  York  city  and  makes  the  trip  from  his  home  to  the  metropolis  twice  a 
day.  Possessing  unusual  business  ability,  thorough  knowledge  of  his  line, 
and  that  courtesy  and  desire  to  accommodate  and  please  his  patrons  so  essen 
tial  to  success,  he  has  won  the  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  has  had  dealings, 
and  has  brought  credit  upon  the  various  large  concerns  which  he  ably  rep- 
resents. 

For  his  wife  the  subject  of  this  article  chose  Miss  Beatrice  Biddall,  then 
of  New  York  city,  and  a  daughter  of  E.  F.  Biddall,  now  a  prominent  citizen 
of  Larchmont.  Two  sons  and  a  daughter  have  blessed  the  union  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sanderson  and  brighten  the  attractive  home  of  the  family  by  their  pres- 
ence. Mr.  Sanderson  and  his  estimable  wife  are  members  of  Saint  John's 
Episcopal  church  of  Larchmont,  and  they  are  always  foremost  in  all  chari- 
table enterprises  in  the  neighborhood. 


JOHN  J.    CLAPP. 


John  Jacob  Clapp,  one  of  the  leading  attorneys  of  his  day,  in  West- 
chester county,  and  the  father  of  John  H.  Clapp,  was  born  in  October,  1818, 
and  died  at  the  age  of  forty-seven  years.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Rochester 
University  and  studied  law  under  Warren  Tompkins.  He  built  for  himself  a 
"very  large  law  practice  and  was  thoroughly  known  in  all  parts  of  this  county, 
as  well  as  many  of  the  adjoining  ones.  Though  he  was  cut  down  while  yet 
in  manhood's  prime,  he  had  become  a  leader  in  his  chosen  profession.  He 
was  known  far  and  wide,  for  his  persistency,  always  fighting  a  case  to  the 
finish,  regardless  of  the  pay  there  might  be  in  it.  Law  for  him  had  a  principle 
and  for  this  he  ever  contended.  Politically,  he  was  a  Jacksonian  Democrat 
originally,  but  upon  the  formation  of  the  Republican  party  in  1856,  he  voted 
for  Fremont  and  had  the  honor  of  being  a  delegate  to  the  Fremont  and 
Lincoln  conventions.  He  was  also  frequently  a  delegate  in  the  state  conventions. 
He  was  a  hard  worker,  possessing  strong-  personal  traits,  and  was  universally 
esteemed.  The  most  of  his  time  was  employed  in  his  profession,  but  he 
served  White  Plains  as  its  supervisor  for  one  term. 

He  was  ever  true  to  his  clients  and  was  a  man  of  upright  character.  Of 
his  religious  life,  it  may  be  said  that  he  was  an  elder  in  the  old  Broadway 
Presbyterian  church,  of  White  Plains.  Besides  his  large  criminal  practice 
and  general  law  business,  he  did  much  in  a  public  way  to  build  up  his  county 
and  was  always  active  in  political  matters.  John  Clapp,  the  founder  of  the  Clapp 
family  in  America,  was  a  Hessian  officer,  who  came  to  America  during  the 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  97a 

Revolutionary  war.  Deciding  to  become  a  citizen  of  the  New  World,  he 
purchased  a  large,  farm  on  Staten  Island,  making  that  his  home  until  he 
died.  In  connection  with  his  farm  operations,  he  also  conducted  a  country- 
store,  and  while  in  New  York  city  purchasing  goods  he  contracted  yellow 
fever  and  died  about  1800. 

Regarding  the  domestic  relations  of  John  Jacob  Clapp,  it  may  be  added 
that  he  was  born  in  Osling  township,  Westchester  county.  His  boyhood 
days  were  spent  at  home,  his  early  schooling  being  acquired  in  Dr.  Prime's 
private  school.  He  married  Miss  Maria  Caroline  Banta,  who  was  born  in 
William  street,  New  York  city,  August  30,  18 19,  and  died  in  November, 
1896.  Their  children  were  John  H.  and  Oscar,  of  whom  this  work  speaks 
at  length  in  the  next  sketch. 


JOHN   H.    CLAPP. 


John  H.  Clapp,  a  prominent  representative  of  the  legal  fraternity,  who 
has  been  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession  in  Port 
Chester,  New  York,  for  many  years,  is  a  native  of  Westchester  county,  born 
in  White  Plains,  September  6,  1847,  ^nd  is  of  an  old  and  highly  honored 
family,  whose  founder  in  America  was  John  Clapp,  a  sketch  of  whom 
appears  above.  Our  subject's  grandfather  was  John  Clapp,  who  was  prob- 
ably born  on  Staten  Island,  but  at  an  early  day  came  to  Westchester  county, 
locating  at  Sing  Sing,  where  he  engaged  in  business  as  a  shoemaker.  He- 
died  there  in  1867,  after  having  passed  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty  years. 

John  H.  Clapp,  of  whom  we  now  write,  began  his  education  at  White 
Plains,  and  later  attended  Roe's  school  atTarrytown,  this  county,  and  Union- 
College,  of  Schenectady,  New  York.  Deciding  to  enter  the  legal  profession, 
he  commenced  the  study  of  law  under  the  direction  of  Judge  J.  O.  Dykman, 
of  White  Plains,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Poughkeepsie,  soon  after 
attaining  his  majority.  He  began  practice  with  Judge  Dykman,  and  later 
formed  a  partnership  with  Amherst  Wight,  having  an  office  in  Port  Chester 
and  also  in  New  York  city.  This  partnership  continued  until  after  the  death 
of  Mr.  Wight,  in  1877.  Soon  afterward  Mr.  Clapp  associated  himself  as  a 
partner  with  Charles  H.  Ropes,  and  after  a  successful  practice  with  that  gen- 
tleman he  was  connected  for  some  time  with  Jarvis  W.  Mason.  Since  1880 
he  has  had  an  office  in  New  York  city,  and  in  connection  with  a  lucrative  law 
business  is  also  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business,  owning  considerable 
property  in  Port  Chester.  He  is  numbered  among  the  most  successful  and 
prominent  members  of  the  Westchester  county  bar  and  enjoys  a  liberal  prac- 
tice. Politically  he  affiliates  with  the  Republican  party,  but  aside  from 
voting  he  takes  no  active  part  in  politics,  preferring  to  give  his  entire  time. 


•974  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

and  attention  to  his  large  business  interests.  Working  faithfully  for  his 
clients,  he  has  advanced  his  own  interests,  but  be  it  said  to  his  credit,  whether 
beneficial  to  himself  or  not,  no  trust  imposed  in  him  is  ever  in  the  least 
slighted. 

Without  the  least  flattery,  in  justice  to  this  member  of  the  West- 
chester county  bar,  it  should  be  recorded  that  notwithstanding  the  fast  age 
in  which  we  live,  and  the  great  volume  of  legal  and  private  business  which  he 
personally  attends  to,  there  is  never  a  time  when  he  forgets  to  be  a  con- 
siderate and  courteous  gentleman,  and  the  most  humble  in  life  receives  the 
same  at  his  hands  as  those  in  higher  and  more  exalted  positions.  Indeed, 
he  is  an  honor  to  the  profession  and  one  truly  fit  to  serve  as  an  example  to 
any  young  man  desiring  to  achieve  an  enviable  reputation  in  the  city  and 
•state  in  which  he  expects  to  live  and  labor  and  be  honored  among  his 
.fellowmen. 

FRANK  A.  CURRY. 

The  subject  of  this  review  occupies  the  responsible  position  of  passenger 
and  freight  agent  for  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  Company,  at  Yonkers. 
It  is  not  difficult  to  conjecture  what  manner  of  a  man  he  is.  In  a  repub- 
lican country  where  merit  must  win,  we  can  tell  much  of  his  life.  Wealth 
may  secure  a  start,  but  it  cannot  maintain  one  in  a  position  where  brains  and 
executive  ability  are  required.  But  Mr.  Curry  did  not  have  wealth  to  aid 
him  in  the  beginning  of  his  business  career.  His  reliance  has  been  placed  in 
the  more  substantial  qualities  of  perseverance,  untiring  enterprise,  resolute 
purpose  and  commendable  zeal,  and  withal  his  actions  have  been  guided  by 
an  honesty  of  purpose  that  none  have  questioned. 

Frank  A.  Curry  is  a  son  of  John  M.  and  Jane  M.  (Treadwell)  Curry, 
and  was  born  in  New  Brunswick,  Canada,  April  31,  1865.  The  family  name 
is  of  Scotch  origin.  A  relative  has  prepared  the  following  ancestral  history 
of  the  Currys,  which  in  this  connection  cannot  fail  to  prove  of  interest. 
"About  the  year  1720,  there  came  from  England  a  nobleman,  who  settled 
in  New  York,  and  with  him  an  orphaned  boy  whose  name  was  John  Curry. 
When  he  became  a  man  he  wooed  and  married  the  nobleman's  daughter. 
The  young  couple  went  up  the  beautiful  Hudson  river,  settling  in  Peekskill, 
one  of  the  famous  Highland  of  the  Hudson,  about  forty  miles  above  New 
York.  As  time  went  on  the  fertile  soil  yielded  him  abundant  increase,  and 
he  became  a  wealthy  colonial  farmer.  Three  sons  were  born  to  him  and  his 
wife,  one  of  whom  was  named  Joshua.  When  Joshua  grew  to  years  of  under- 
standing he  married,  the  object  of  his  affections  being  Miss  Travis,  the 
daughter  of  one  of  the  good  old  families.  War  broke  out  between  the  colo- 
•nies  and  the  mother  country,  and  Joshua  Curry,  ever  loyal  to  the  land  of  his 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  975 

ancestors,  boldly  took  up  arms  for  the  British.  His  neighbors  were  on  the  side 
of  independence,  and  he  had  to  flee  from  home  under  cover  of  night.  Three 
hundred  miles  lay  between  him  and  the  nearest  British  camp;  however,  he 
reached  there  in  safety,  and  enlisted  as  a  soldier.  Ere  long  he  was  promoted 
to  the  office  of  lieutenant.  His  family  supposed  he  was  dead  as  they  did  not 
hear  from  him  till  the  war  was  over.  In  the  fall  of  1783,  rather  than  be  dis- 
loyal to  England,  he,  with  his  family,  left  his  beautiful  home  and  went  to 
New  Brunswick,  landing  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  John  river,  in  November. 
They  spent  the  winter  there,  and  in  the  spring  went  up  the  river  and  pur- 
chased land  in  the  parishes  of  Gagetown  and  Canning. 

From  another  writer  we  quote  the  following  paragraphs: 

' '  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joshua  Curry  were  the  parents  of  five  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter. One  of  these,  David,  who  was  sixteen  years  of  age  at  the  time  .of  their 
arrival  in  New  Brunswick,  married  Dorothy,  a  daughter  of  Zebulon  Estey. 
The  ancestors  of  the  Esteys  emigrated  from  England  with  the  Puritans  in 
the  Mayflower  in  1620.  About  the  year  1760,  before  the  landing  of  the 
Loyalists,  a  settlement  was  made  at  Majorville  by  a  company  of  New  Eng- 
enders. My  informant  is  not  certain  as  to  whether  Zebulon  Estey  was 
among  those  settlers,  or  whether  he  came  five  or  six  years  later.  He  was 
one  of  the  few  magistrates  of  New  Brunswick  at  that  time.  He  got  this 
appointment  in  an  interesting  way.  The  story  is  that  he  had  built  a  mill  on 
a  brook  near  Gagetown,  when  some  one  tried  to  wrest  it  from  him  on  the 
grounds  that  he  had  no  claim  to  the  land  on  which  the  mill  stood.  At  that 
time  New  Brunswick  was  not  a  separate  province,  but  was  a  part  of  Nova 
Scotia.  Acordingly  Estey  had  to  go  to  Halifax  to  gain  redress.  The  gov- 
ernor kindly  listened  to  his  greviance  and  not  only  gave  him  a  title  to  the  land 
for  which  he  asked,  but  added  much  more  to  it.  He  inquired  of  Estey  if 
there  were  no  magistrates  on  the  St.  John  river.  On  being  answered  in  the 
negative  he  then  and  there  appointed  him  a  justice  of  the  peace. 

"  David  and  Dorothy  took  up  their  abode  in  Canning,  and  God  pros- 
pered them  exceedingly.  They  owned  nearly  two  thousand  acres  of  land  on 
both  sides  of  the  river.  There  were  born  to  them  ten  sons  and  two  daughters. 
The  fifth  son,  whose  name  was  John,  and  who  was  born  in  1788,  married 
Anna  Upton  and  had  nine  children.  He  carried  on  a  large  tanning  business 
and  was  quite  wealthy.  He  died  in  1876.  His  brother  George  is  the  only 
surviving  member  of  the  family  (1897)  and  he  has  lived  to  see  seven  genera- 
tions, both  ancestors  and  descendants.  One  of  the  nine  children,  whose  name 
was  John,  married  Jane  Treadwell,  and  had  three  daughters  and  three  sons, 
Bertha,  Lillian,  Nettie,  Henry,  Arthur  and  Frank," 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  John  Curry,  was  an  extensive 
lumber  merchant  and  tanner,  at  Gagetown,  Canada,  where  he  resided  until 


976  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

his  death,  which  occurred  in  1883,  when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  eighty- 
two  years.  His  wife  died  in  1888,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  Their 
children  were  John,  Albert,  David,  Charles,  Henrietta,  Barbara  and  Ann,  all 
of  whom  lived  in  Canada.  John  M.  Curry,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born 
in  Canning,  New  Brunswick,  in  1833,  was  a  man  of  spendid  intellectual 
endowments,  was  highly  educationed  and  for  twenty-one  years  was  a  minister 
in  the  Baptist  church.  He  served  as  pastor  of  the  churches  in  Gagetown, 
Frederickstown  and  Hillsboro,  New  Brunswick,  and  died  in  the  last  named 
place  in  1883,  at  the  age  of  fifty  years.  His  wife  passed  away,  in  1879,  at 
the  age  of  forty  years.  Her  father,  George  Treadwell,  was  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Majorville,  New  Brunswick,  and  possessed  considerable  property. 
He  died  when  about  eighty-five  years  of  age.  He  had  three  children, — 
George,  Melissa  and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 

In  the  public  schools  of  Hammond  and  Hillsboro,  New  Brunswick,  Frank 
A.  Curry  pursued  his  studies  until  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  began  clerk- 
ing in  a  grocery  store.  He  afterward  learned  telegraphy,  which  he  followed 
for  six  years,  spending  a  part  of  that  time  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  and  at 
points  along  the  line  of  the  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad,  acting  as  telegraph 
operator  and  station  agent.  In  1891  he  came  to  Yonkers  as  passenger  agent 
for  the  New  York  Central  Railroad,  in  which  capacity  he  served  until  1893, 
when  the  passenger  and  freight  agencies  were  combined  and  he  was  given 
charge  of  both.  This  is  the  most  important  station  between  New  York  and 
Albany.  In  the  two  departments  are  nineteen  men  under  his  immediate 
supervision,  and  the  large  volume  of  business  there  transacted  is  under  his 
care.  The  company's  criticism  of  his  conduct  of  the  office  has  ever  been 
most  favorable,  and  he  certainly  deserves  their  highest  approbation  and 
approval.  He  has  made  many  important  changes. and  improvements  in  the 
manner  of  handling  the  immense  business  of  the  company  at  this  point, 
thereby  avoiding  much  friction  and  guaranteeing  much  more  satisfactory 
service  to  the  company  as  well  as  to  the  patrons  of  the  road. 

On  the  2 1st  of  July,  1888,  Mr.  Curry  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Grace  Warren,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Thomas  Warren,  who  for  forty  years  was  a 
prominent  physician  in  West  Boston,  Massachusetts.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty  years.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Curry  have  been  born  four  children,  Nellie 
Grace,  Warren  Frances,  Frank  Howard  and  Ellen  Margery. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Curry  is  a  Republican.  He  belongs  to  Nepper- 
han  Lodge,  No.  736,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  to  Ivanhoe  Lodge,  No.  75,  I.  O. 
O.  F. ,  in  Nova  Scotia.  He  is  a  man  of  good  address  and  gentlemanly 
bearing,  which  impresses  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact,  possesses  supe- 
rior intelligence,  genuine  ability  and  force  of  character,  and  at  all  times 
commands  the  respect  and  confidence  of  those  with  whom  he  is  brought  in 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  977 

contact.  A  laudable  ambition  has  enabled  to  him  to  attain  to  his  present 
responsible  position  in  connection  with  the  railroad  company,  and  the  same 
progressive  spirit  and  faithfulness  will  bring  him  still  greater  success  in  the 
future. 

FRANK  V.   MILLARD. 

Frank  Vincent  Millard,  one  of  the  native  sons  of  Tarrytown,  Westches- 
ter county,  is  a  leading  member  ofthe  bar  of  this  section  of  New  York.  In 
political  circles,  as  well,  he  occupies  an  eminent  position,  and  in  all  public 
affairs  he  takes  an  active  and  prominent  part.  His  family  has  long  been 
numbered  among  the  substantial  and  representative  ones  of  New  England, 
many  of  its  members  having  become  famous  for  statesmanship  and  financial 
ability,  or,  having  entered  the  arena  of  professional  life,  made  names  for 
themselves  and  posterity. 

The  parents  of  the  subject  of  this  review  were  James  Slade  and  Eliza- 
beth A.  (Purdy)  Millard,  who  were  of  English  and  French  extraction.  The 
father,  a  gentleman  of  exceptionally  fine  mental  powers,  was  a  graduate  of 
Yale  College  and  of  Columbia  College,  in  the  law  department.  For  years  he 
was  one  of  the  valued  members  of  the  Tarrytown  bar,  and  held  numerous 
important  trusts  in  this  locality.  His  busy  and  useful  career  was  brought  to 
a  close  by  death  in  the  month  of  December,  1890. 

The  birth  of  Frank  Vincent  Millard  took  place  in  Tarrytown,  February 
27,  1867,  and  here  he  passed  his  boyhood,  receiving  good  educational  advan- 
tages in  our  excellent  public  schools.  He  was  the  eldest  son  in  his  parents' 
family,  and  from  his  early  years  it  was  his  ambition  that  he  might  be  per- 
mitted to  follow  in  his  father's  footsteps  and  become  a  partner  with  him  in 
law.  He  prepared  for  college  at  Irving  Institute,  in  this  county,  and,  having 
matriculated  in  due  course  of  time  at  Yale  University,  he  was  graduated  in 
its  classic  halls  in  1888.  Then  for  a  year  and  a  half  he  read  and  studied  law 
in  his  father's  office,  and,  after  attending  the  Columbia  Law  School  for  a 
period,  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  in  Brooklyn,  in  February,  1890.  He  at 
once  established  himself  in  practice  in  his  home  city,  his  office  being  with  his 
honored  father,  whose  death,  about  eight  months  later,  left  the  entire  busi- 
ness in  his  hands.  He  has  been  very  successful  in  the  practice  of  his  chosen 
profession,  and,  although  he  makes  a  specialty  of  real-estate  and  surrogate's 
work,  he  has  given  his  attention  to  nearly  every  phase  of  general  jurispru- 
dence. Since  March,  1895,  he  has  been  corporation  counsel  for  Tarrytown, 
and  is  counsel  for  Greenbiirg  also,  and  counsel  for  the  highway  commis- 
sioners and  assessors  of  Greenburg  and  Mount  Pleasant,  for  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  poor  of  this  county,  and,  for  three  years  prior  to  the  abolish- 
ment of  the   office,  held  a  position   as  legal  adviser  to  the  excise  board  of 

62 


978  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Greenburg.  Succeeding  his  father,  he  became  counsel  for  the  Westchester 
County  Savings  Bank,  and  has  acted  in  a  similar  capacity  for  the  Greenburg 
Savings  Bank  for  some  time.  Recently  he  was  appointed  corporation  coun- 
sel for  the  village  of  Hastings;  was  elected  town  clerk  of  Greenburg  in  1889, 
and  again  in  1890,  and  in  1891  was  elected  supervisor.  Always  devoted  to 
the  welfare  of  the  Republican  party  since  he  became  a  voter,  he  is  chairman 
of  the  committee  of  the  same  in  his  congressional  district,  and  was  selected 
as  a  delegate  to  the  national  convention  of  his  party,  at  St.  Louis,  in  1896. 
That  fall  (in  October)  he  was  elected  chairman  of  the  Republican  county 
committee  of  Westchester  county,  to  succeed  Hon.  William  H.  Robertson, 
who  had  officiated  in  that  responsible  position  for  twenty-one  years.  The 
cause  of  education  finds  in  Mr.  Millard  an  earnest  friend,  and  while  he  has 
been  on  the  school  board  he  has  used  his  influence  in  the  direction  of  secur- 
ing better  advantages  for  the  rising  generation.  For  years  foreman  of  one 
of  the  best  volunteer  fire  companies  in  this  state,  he  has  also  been  a  director 
of  the  Exempt  Firemen's  Association  for  several  years.  Thirty  years  ago 
the  well  known  literary  organization,  the  Young  Men's  Lyceum,  was  founded 
here,  and  it  has  ever  since  been  one  of  the  beneficial  clubs  of  the  city.  Much 
of  its  success  of  late  years  is  justly  attributed  to  the  fact  that  Mr.  Millard  has 
been  acting  as  president  of  the  society,  giving  to  the  work  the  results  of  his 
ripe  experience  and  judicious  guidance. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Millard  and  Miss  Grace  Requa  was  celebrated  at 
the  home  of  the  bride's  father,  Isaac  Requa,  in  Tarrytown,  in  December, 
1891.  Mrs.  Millard,  a  most  charming  and  highly  cultured  lady,  comes  from 
a  good  old  family  of  this  region,  and  some  of  her  ancestors  were  residents  of 
Tarrytown  prior  to  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  The  pleasant  and  hospitable 
home  of  our  subject  and  wife  is  brightened  by  the  presence  of  two  children. 


REV.  ARTHUR  H.  GOODENOUGH. 

The  present  pastor  of  St.  John's  church,  Methodist  Episcopal,  New 
Rochelle,  Mr.  Goodenough,  is  a  native  of  England,  born  in  Devonshire,  Feb- 
ruary 5,  185 1,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Penelope  (Allen)  Goodenough,  natives 
also  of  Albion's  Isle.  He  received  his  education  at  a  private  school  at  Clo- 
villy  and  Shelbar,  the  latter  now  being  known  as  North  Devon  College,  at 
which  he  graduated  in  1872.  Immediately  after  his  graduation  he  was 
■ordained  to  the  ministry  at  Baxter,  England,  and  in  1879  he  emigrated  to 
America  and  was  soon  admitted  as  a  member  of  the  East  New  York  confer- 
ence at  Trinity  church,  and  was  appointed  pastor  at  Nicholas,  Connecticut. 
From  Nicholas  he  was  called  to  Astoria,  then  Long  Island  City,  and  thence 
to  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. ,  and  New  Rochelle  in  1895, 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  979 

where  he  has  since  remained,  in  charge  of  St.  John's  church,  and  here  he 
has  a  large  and  growing  congregation.  The  house  of  worship  is  one  of  the 
finest  in  the  town,  costing  about  sixty  thousand  dollars,  with  a  seating  capac- 
ity for  twelve  hundred  persons.  It  is  known  as  the  "greenstone  church" 
on  account  of  the  greenish  hue  of  the  outside  material  of  which  it  is  built. 
The  Sunday-school  has  a  large  attendance,  superintended  by  Wesley 
Harmer. 

Mr.  Goodenough  was  married  in  1878  to  Miss  Ellen  Taylor,  of  Illinois, 
and  they  had  four  daughters  and  one  son,  namely:  Arthur  Trumbull,  Lillie 
P.,  Flora  S.,  Marjorie  A.  and  Mavis  Clare. 


JOHN  H.  CORDES. 

John  H.  Cordes,  who  is  now  serving  his  third  term  as  assessor  of  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  in  New  York  city,  June  30,  1861,  a  son  of  Christopher 
and  Elizabeth  (Faatz)  Cordes.  Arriving  at  the  designated  age,  he  pursued 
his  studies  in  the  public  schools,  where  he  remained  until  1871.  The  family 
then  removed  to  Mount  Vernon  and  he  continued  his  education  in  this  city, 
being  graduated  in  the  high  school  at  the  age  of  sixteen.  Immediately  after- 
ward he  entered  upon  his  business  career  and  for  seven  years  devoted  his 
energies  to  floriculture,  after  which  he  turned  his  attention  to  carpentering. 
He  followed  that  trade  in  the  employ  of  others  for  some  time  and  then  began 
contracting  and  building  on  his  own  account.  His  patronage  steadily 
increased  and  the  excellence  of  the  workmanship  executed  under  his  direc- 
tion, combined  with  his  fidelity  to  the  terms  of  a  contract,  brought  him  a 
large  and  profitable  business.  He  employed  thirty-five  men  during  the  busy 
season  and  erected  many  of  the  fine  residences  in  the  city  which  now  stand 
as  monuments  to  his  skill  and  enterprise.  While  thus  engaged  he  had  excel- 
lent opportunity  to  become  acquainted  with  land  values  and  to  learn  of  realty 
that  was  upon  the  market.  He  therefore  began  real-estate  speculation,  and 
his  judicious  investments  have  added  not  a  little  to  his  'income.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Co-operative  Building  Board,  of  New  York  city,  and  in  his 
business  methods  displays  a  steadfast  purpose,  a  sagacity  and  ambition  that 
are  alike  commendable  and  productive  of  excellent  results. 

On  the  4th  of  October,  1887,  Mr.  Cordes  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Clara  A.  O'Malley,  and  to  them  have  been  born  five  children:  Amy, 
John  H.,  Walter  Columbus,  Arthur  and  Agnes.  Mr.  Cordes'  mother  also 
made  her  home  with  them  for  some  years  prior  to  her  death,  which  occurred 
in  1891. 

In  his  political  affiliations  our  subject  has  always  been  a  stanch  Demo- 
crat, and  in  1892  was  elected  assessor  of  Mount  Vernon,  receiving  one  of  the 


980  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

largest  majorities  given  any  candidate  on  the  ticket, ^ — about  one  hundred 
and  seventy-five.  That  term  continued  for  two  years,  and  in  1894  he  was 
again  elected,  being  the  first  assessor  under  the  new  city  organization.  This 
time  he  ran  ahead  of  his  ticket,  receiving  a  majority  of  three  hundred  and 
thirty-two.  For  the  third  term  he  was  elected  in  1897,  again  receiving  a 
majority  of  more  than  three  hundred.  This  fact  stands  in  evidence  of  his 
faithful  service  and  of  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  his  fellow  towns- 
men. He  discharges  his  duties  without  fear  or  favor  and  has  thus  won  the 
commendation  of  the  public. 

At  all  times  Mr.  Cordes  is  a  public-spirited  and  progressive  citizen,  doing 
what  he  can  to  advance  the  welfare  of  Mount  Vernon.  For  fourteen  years 
he  was  a  member  of  the  fire  department.  He  belonged  to  Washington  En- 
gine Company,  No.  i,  was  for  four  years  its  foreman  and  for  three  years  its 
president.  He  is  now  a  member  of  the  Exempt  Firemen's  Association,  and 
the  Firemen's  Benevolent  Association,  and  from  the  organization  of  the  latter 
has  served  as  its  secretary.  He  is  also  a  charter  member  of  Alexander  En- 
campment, No.  76,  St.  John  of  Malta,  belongs  to  the  Mount  Vernon  Turn 
Verein  and  the  Mount  Vernon  Quartet  Club.  He  is  a  popular  member  of 
Mount  Vernon  Lodge,  No.  195,  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  and  has  twice  filled  all  of  the 
chairs.  He  is  also  connected  with  Guiding  Star  Encampment,  No.  83, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  is  a  charter  member  of  Aquanock  Tribe,  No.  369,  I.  O.  R.  M., 
and  the  Haymakers,  connected  with  the  Red  Men.  In  these  various  organ- 
izations he  takes  an  active  interest  and  is  highly  esteemed  by  the  members 
of  the  fraternities. 

THOMAS  O'HERN. 

It  has  been  stated  that  the  man  who  each  week  pays  a  hundred  employes 
does  more  for  his  country  than  the  commander  who  leads  an  armed  force 
forth  to  battle.  While  circumstances  sometimes  make  the  latter  necessary, 
and  too  much  praise  cannot  be  given  to  the  soldier  who  battles  for  his  prin- 
ciples and  his  country,  yet  the  man  who  promotes  the  industrial  and  com- 
mercial interests  of  the  country  is  no  less  deserving  of  the  gratitude  of  his 
fellow  men.  "Peace  hath  her  victories  no  less  renowned  than  war, "  and 
each  day  demonstrates  the  truth  and  wisdom  of  this  statement.  The  utili- 
zation of  animate  and  inanimate  forces,  the  control  of  large  capital  and  the 
management  of  many  men, — all  these  require  a  marked  generalship.  In  the 
conduct- of  his  extensive  business  interests  Mr.  O'Hern  displays  such  quali- 
ties, and  has  thus  risen  to  a  position  of  eminence  in  the  industrial  world. 

He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  O'Hern  and  was  born  in  Utica,  New  York, 
August  15,  1856.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  that  city  until  twelve 
years  of  age,  and  afterward   remained   at   home  with  his  father  for  several 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  981 

years.  He  then  became  employed  on  the  construction  of  the  New  York, 
Oswego  &  Midland  Railroad,  and  later  on  the  Welland  Canal,  between  Lake 
Ontario  and  Lake  Erie.  He  was  thus  engaged  until  1879,  when  he  went  to 
the  west,  locating  at  Lake  Winnipeg,  Manitoba,  when  eighteen  years  of  age. 
He  then  began  taking  contracts  on  his  own  account,  first  in  getting  out  tim- 
ber. Subsequently  he  began  railroad  contracting  upon  the  construction  of 
the  Yellowstone  division  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  which  he  completed 
in  1882,  during  that  time  employing  one  hundred  and  fifty  men.  He  left 
there  in  June,  1883,  and  in  partnership  with  Michael  Logan  went  to  Port 
Arthur,  on  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  to  execute  a  contract  on  the 
construction  of  a  section  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railroad.  This  was  one  of 
the  most  difficult  and  important  sections  of  the  road,  and,  added  to  the 
peculiarly  arduous  work,  they  had  to  endure  many  hardships  from  lack  of 
supplies,  tools  and  other  facilities  for  railroad  building,  and  also  for  want  of 
food  for  the  men  and  for  the  horses.  They  did  this  work  for  the  govern- 
ment and  continued  the  same  until  1886,  when,  having  suffered  considerable 
annoyance  in  getting  their  money  from  the  Canadian  Pacific,  they  gave  up 
government  work. 

Mr.  O'Hern  then  severed  his  business  relations  with  Mr.  Logan  and 
came  to  Yonkers,  New  York.  Soon  afterward  he  entered  into  partnership 
with  J.  B.  Pennell  and  Jules  Breuchaud,  two  well  known  contractors  promi- 
nent throughout  the  east.  In  this  new  relation  they  took  a  contract  for  the 
construction  of  section  8  of  the  Croton  aqueduct,  a  section  beginning  at 
Yonkers  and  extending  about  three  miles  north  of  the  city.  In  1895  Mr. 
Breuchaud  withdrew  from  the  firm,  which  has  since  conducted  business 
under  the  style  of  Pennell  &  O'Hern.  They  control  the  largest  contracting 
business  of  all  firms  in  Westchester  county.  They  have  constructed  large 
sections  of  the  sea  wall  on  Gunner's  island,  executed  four  contracts  under 
the  New  York  Aqueduct  Commission  and  built  the  Catskill  Mountain  sec- 
tion of  the  Elevated  Railroad.  They  took  the  contract  for  making  a  large 
section  of  the  Harlem  depression,  were  the  contractors  having  in  charge  the 
Kinzer  cut-off  on  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  at  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania, 
took  a  one-hundred-thousand-dollar  contract  for  street  macadamizing  at 
Avon-by-the-Sea,  and  built  the  Warburton  avenue  extension  at  Yonkers. 

In  1898,  Mr.  O'Hern  was  personally  concerned  in  the  construction  of 
thirty-five  hundred  feet  of  the  Lake  avenue  sewer,  of  Yonkers,  at  a  depth  of 
from  sixteen  to  thirty-one  feet.  He  received  for  this  thirty-five  thousand 
dollars,  and  employed  about  four  hundred  workmen.  The  firm  of  Pennell  & 
O'Hern  is  the  most  thoroughly  equipped  of  all  firms  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try for  the  successful  prosecution  of  their  labors.  These  partners  own  their 
own  hoisting  engines,  steam  rollers,  steam  shovels,  locomotives,  cars,  a  com- 


982  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

plete  plant  of  modern  excavating  machinery  and  from  sixty  to  seventy  horses, 
Th6y  have  surpassed  all  other  firms  in  the  amount  and  importance  of  street 
paving  and  execution  of  public  contracts  in  Yonkers.  Among  other  con- 
tracts which  they  have  had  in  Yonkers  was  the  paving  of  Main  street  with 
blocks;  the  macadamizing  of  the  Sawmill  River  Railroad  and  Tuckahoe 
Road,  of  North  Broadway  to  Hastings,  Brodwick's  Speedway,  the  extension 
of  Park  Hill  avenue  and  Valentine's  lane,  besides  considerable  work  for  the 
New  York  Central  Road.  Mr.  O'Hern  is  also  individually  interested  in  a 
one-hundred-and-twenty-thousand-dollar  contract  from  Springtown  drive  to 
Broadway,  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter.  In  connection  with  Mr.  Pennell  he 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  dynamite  in  Yonkers  and  later  in  Kingston, 
New  York.  Their  business  has  assumed  mammoth  proportions  and  has 
brought  them  deserved  prominence  and  success. 

On  the  5th  of  October,  1887,  Mr.  O'Hern  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Mary  J.,  daughter  of  John  Gibbons,  of  Irvington  on 'the  Hudson.  They 
have  seven  children.  Their  residence  is  the  finest  on  South  Broadway.  It 
was  recently  erected  by  Mr.  O'Hern  and  is  a  most  imposing  edifice,  con- 
structed of  brick,  with  stone  trimmings,  at  a  cost  of  twenty  thousand  dollars. 
In  his  political  affiliations  he  is  a  Democrat,  but  has  never  been  an  aspirant 
for  office.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Yonkers  fire  department,  the  Protection 
Engine  Company,  and  of  St.  Mary's  Catholic  church.  Viewed  in  the  light 
of  his  success,  the  business  career  of  Mr.  O'Hern  seems  most  marvelous,  yet 
his  prosperity  is  but  the  natural  sequence  of  common  causes.  Systematical 
and  methodical  in  business,  quick  to  note  and  take  advantage  of  favorable 
business  openings,  energetic  and  progressive  and  possessed  of  sound  judg- 
ment and  rare  discrimination,  he  stands  to-day  at  the  head  of  extensive  and 
important  industrial  interests,  and  is  a  recognized  leader  in  his  line. 


THEARON  B.   DEAN. 


Thearon  B.  Dean,  a  prominent  representative  of  the  business  interests 
of  Somers  township,  has  spent  his  entire  life  here,  his  birth  having  occurred 
June  19,  1853.  He  is  descended  from  one  of  the  old  and  honored  families 
of  southeastern  New  York,  his  great-grandfather  having  settled  near  Carmel, 
Putnam  county,  at  the  time  that  he  came  to  America  from  England. 
Nathaniel  Dean,  the  father  of  our  subject,  and  son  of  David  Dean,  was  born 
in  the  county  mentioned,  in  1802,  being  one  of  ten  children,  who  were 
named,  respectively,  Silas,  Charles,  Elijah,  David,  George,  Maria,  Matilda, 
Julia,  Cynthia  and  Betsey.  Most  of  these  became  the  heads  of  families,  and 
their  descendants  are  widely  scattered.  Six  of  the  cousins  of  our  subject 
were  soldiers  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion. 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  983 

Nathaniel  Dean  spent  his  boyhood  and  youth  near  the  town  of  Carmel, 
and,  as  he  began  earning  his  own  HveHhood  when  he  was  quite  young,  his 
educational  privileges  were  quite  limited.  At  length  he  took  up  the  study  of 
medicine,  with  Doctor  Barnum  as  his  preceptor,  who  was  a  botanic  physi- 
cian, having  intimate  knowledge  of  the  curative  properties  of  herbs.  Then, 
until  1868  or  1869,  he  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of  the  healing  art, 
acquiring  much  more  than  local  fame,  as  patients  came  to  him  from  far  and 
near,  even  from  the  neighboring  counties  of  Columbia  and  Dutchess.  Nor 
was  his  fame  limited  to  the  regular  line  of  family  practice,  for  he  became  an 
adept  at  surgical  work,  and  was  especially  expert  in  dealing  with  fractures. 
About  1830  he  removed  to  Westchester  county,  where  he  made  his  home 
until  summoned  to  the  silent  land,  in  1876.  He  was  very  successful  as  a 
financier;  was  one  of  the  founders  and  stockholders  of  the  Bank  of  Kent  and 
held  stock  in  the  Farmers  &  Drovers  Bank  of  Somersville.  He  was  a  man 
of  high  moral  character,  was  a  great  reader  and  a  deep  thinker,  and  was 
thoroughly  worthy  of  the  high  regard  in  which  he  was  uniformly  held. 

The  wife  of  Dr.  Nathaniel  Dean  was  Elizabeth  Ann,  daughter  of  Moses 
and  Martha  (Powell)  Havaland,  and  sister  of  William  and  Jane.  The  Hava- 
lands  were  of  French  descent  and  were  prominently  identified  with  the 
Society  of  Friends,  several  of  the  number  being  ministers.  Moses  Havaland 
was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  as  were  his  brothers  also,  but  in  his  later  years  he 
followed  farming.  His  daughter,  Jane,  married  a  Mr.  Dean,  a  relative  of 
Doctor  Dean.  To  the  marriage  of  Doctor  Dean  and  wife  three  children  were 
born,  namely:  Moses  H.,  a  stock  dealer  and  farmer  of  Peekskill,  New  York; 
Augustus  N.,  a  farmer  living  near  Peekskill;   and  Thearon  B. 

Reared  upon  a  farm,  Thearon  B.  Dean  obtained  his  early  education  in 
the  district  schools  of  the  neighborhood  and  later  attended  the  Chappaqua 
Mountain  Institute.  When  he  was  in  his  nineteenth  year  he  began  farming 
on  the  homestead  which  he  still  occupies,  and  for  eight  or  ten  years  he  gave 
his  whole  attention  to  general  agricultural  pursuits.  In  connection  with  his 
farming  operations  he  then  engaged  in  the  wholesale  feed  and  coal  business, 
shipping  by  car-load  lots  throughout  the  eastern  states.  He  still  does  an 
extensive  business  in  this  line,  having  an  office  in  the  Produce  Exchange 
building,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  progressive,  enterprising  and 
energetic  business  men  of  the  county.  His  farm,  comprising  one  hundred 
and  thirty-five  acres  of  valuable  land,  is  chiefly  devoted  to  dairying,  though 
considerable  live-stock  also  is  handled  by  him.  For  five  or  six  years  he  was 
engaged  in  the  grain  elevator  business  at  Port  Richmond,  but  sold  his  inter- 
ests there.  He  is  a  man  of  sound  judgment,  sagacious  and  far-sighted,  and 
the  success  which  he  has  achieved  is  certainly  well  deserved. 

On  the  4th  of  December,   1878,  Mr.  Dean  was  united  in  marriage  with 


984  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

Miss  Annie  E.  Purdy,  and  they  are  numbered  among  the  most  highly 
respected  citizens  of  this  county.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Dean  is  a  stanch 
Republican. 

ALBERT  W.   MOTT. 

The  name  Mott  is  of  Knickerbocker  Dutch  origin  and  is  a  very  old  one 
in  this  country,  traceable  back  to  Jefferson  and  Herkimer  counties,  New 
York.  John  Mott,  the  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a 
native  of  Jefferson  county,  a  farmer  owning  a  considerable  amount  of  land. 
He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  served  as  postmaster.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Universalist  church.  Our  subject's  paternal  grandfather,  also  a 
native  of  Jefferson  county,  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade  and  during  the  latter 
part  of  his  life  resided  at  Gloversville,  New  York,  where  he  was  a  boot  and 
shoe  merchant.  He  also  was  a  Democrat  and  a  member  of  the  Universalist 
church.  He  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  or  sixty-six  years.  His  children 
were  seven  in  number,  as  follows:  John,  Thomas,  Silas,  George  Washing- 
ton, Nancy,  Lucy  and  Mary. 

George  Washington  Mott,  the  father  of  Albert  W. ,  was  a  native  of  Jef- 
ferson county.  New  York,  born  December  13,  1832,  attended  school  to  the 
age  of  eleven  years,  and  from  the  age  of  twenty  to  fifty-five  was  a  seafaring- 
man,  who  during  his  service  on  the  sea  was  captain  of  sailing  vessels  of  all 
classes  and  traveled  widely  throughout  the  world.  After  retiring  to  his  native 
land  he  followed  painting  for  two  years;  then  went  to  Seattle,  Washington, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  trade,  and  finally  died.  May  7,  1895.  I" 
his  politics  he  was  an  enthusiastic  Democrat,  and  in  religion  a  prominent 
Universalist.  He  married  Catharine  Glover  and  had  two  children:  Esther 
A.,  wife  of  J.  E.  Tibbits,  a  contractor  at  Mount  Vernon,  and  Albert  W. 

The  last  mentioned,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  the  village 
of  Kirksville,  Onondaga  county.  New  York,  November  28,  1863,  and 
attended  the  public  schools  of  Syracuse,  this  state,  until  his  mother  died, 
when  he  went  to  New  York  city,  where  he  was  employed  as  an  errand  boy 
by  I^.  F.  Tyson  &  Company,, stock-brokers,  at  three  dollars  per  week.  He 
remained  with  that  firm  for  six  years  and  a  half,  being  finally  promoted  to 
the  position  of  loan  clerk  at  a  salary  of  twenty-five  dollars  a  week;  and  he 
also  frequently  operated  on  the  floor  of  the  Stock  Exchange  in  the  interests 
of  his  company.  Subsequently  he  became  second  teller  in  the  Garfield  Bank 
in  New  York  city,  at  a  reduced  salary;  but  not  being  contented  with  this 
position,  he  took  up  carpentering,  with  the  view  of  engaging  in  the  business 
of  contracting  and  building  as  soon  as  he  had  mastered  the  trade.  After 
serving  two  years  in  New  York  city  he  came  to  Mount  Vernon  and  undertook 
the  business  to  which  his  ambition  had  led  him,  erecting  thirteen  houses  on 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  985 

Terrace  avenue  the  first  year,  the  contracts  amounting  to  seventy  thousand 
■dollars.  At  that  time  he  was  the  youngest  man  in  the  business,  but  he  did 
more  work  than  any  other  man.  Altogether,  he  has  erected  about  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  houses  in  this  place.  Some  of  the  buildings  he  has  put  up 
on  his  own  account,  on  lots  of  his  own,  for  speculation.  He  is  now  con- 
sidered one  of  the  oldest  contractors  in  the  place,  and  he  is  still  prepared  to 
erect  all  kinds  of  structures  and  also  to  put  down  street  paving,  etc.  He  has 
now  on  hand  contracts  amounting  to  forty  thousand  dollars. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Co-operative  Building  &  Loan  Association,  and 
was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Home  Building  &  Loan  Association.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  member  of  Hiawatha  Lodge,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  and  of  the 
O.  D.  O.  Mr.  Mott  is  one  of  the  leading  builders  of  the  city  of  his  choice, 
is  enterprising  and  progressive,  and  is  a  competent,  safe  business  manager, 
affable  in  manner  and  companionable  in  disposition. 

On  the  1 2th  of  October,  1887,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Emma  L.  B.,  daughter  of  Theodore  Kohlmann,  a  lithographer  of  New  York 
city,  and  they  have  two  children, — Albert  G.  and  Elmer  Theodore. 


WILLIAM  RYAN. 

The  influence  of  such  a  career  as  that  of  Mr.  Ryan  on  the  business  and 
political  life  of  a  community  cannot  be  estimated.  A  man  of  great  force  of 
character  and  unquestioned  integrity,  his  honorable  record  has  commanded 
the  confidence  of  all  and  left  its  impress  for  good  on  the  commercial  and  leg- 
islative interests  with  which  he  has  been  connected.  If  those  who  claim  that 
fortune  has  favored  certain  individuals  above  others  will  but  investigate  the 
cause  of  success  and  failure,  it  will  be  found  that  the  former  is  largely  due  to 
the  improvement  of  opportunity,  the  latter  to  the  neglect  of  it.  Fortunate 
environments  compass  nearly  every  man  at  some  stage  of  his  career,  but  the 
strong  man  and  the  successful  man  is  he  who  realizes  that  the  proper  moment 
has  come,  that  the  present  and  not  the  future  holds  his  opportunity.  The 
man  who  makes  use  of  the  Now  and  not  the  To  Be  is  the  one  who  passes  on 
the  highway  of  life  others  who  started  out  ahead  of  him  and  reaches  the 
goal  of  prosperity  far  in  advance  of  them.  It  is  this  quality  in  Mr.  Ryan 
that  has  made  him  a  leader  in  the  business  world  and  also  gained  him  prom- 
inence in  connection  with  the  legislative  interests  of  state  and  nation. 

A  native  of  county  Tipperary,  Ireland,  he  was  born  March  8,  1840,  and 
•when  four  years  of  age  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  father,  John  Ryan, 
who  located  with  his  family  at  Stanwich,  Connecticut,  where  he  made  his 
home  until  about  fourteen  years  ago,  since  which  time  he  has  been  a  resident 
•of  Port  Chester.      By  occupation  he  is  a  farmer. 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

The  subject  of  this  review  was  reared  in  Stanwich,  Connecticut,  and  in 
his  youth  assisted  in  the  labors  of  the  farm  which  debarred  him  from  extended 
educational  privileges.  However,  he  attended  the  schools  of  Stanwich  and 
of  North  Castle,  New  York,  to  some  extent,  and  by  observation  and  varied 
experience  in  the  business  world  he  has  added  largely  to  his  fund  of  knowl- 
edge, gaining  that  practical  wisdom  which  enables  one  to  meet  ably  the 
duties  of  life.  In  the  spring  of  1859  he  started  for  the  gold  fields  at  Pike's 
Peak,  Colorado.  He  went  first  to  Kansas  City  and  later  joined  a  party  at 
Leavenworth,  Kansas,  where  he  was  employed  to  drive  an  ox  team  to  Den- 
ver, arriving  in  the  latter  city  in  June,  1859.  There  many  of  the  party  de- 
cided to  return,  but  Mr.  Ryan  with  a  number  of  companions  started  up  the 
mountain  in  search  of  gold,  and  opened  a  gold  mine  in  what  is  now  Central 
City.  Our  subject  aided  in  opening  the  first  paying  gold  mine  in  Colorado, 
and  was  also  the  first  man  to  drive  a  wheeled  vehicle  into  the  gold  regions  in 
the  mountains  beyond  Denver.  He  was  four  days  in  making  the  trip  from 
Denver  to  Central  City,  only  forty  miles.  Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Colorado, 
he  became  interested  in  placer  mining  in  Russell  Gulch,  six  miles  from  Cen- 
tral City,  but  after  working  there  for  two  months  were  driven  out  by  the  Ute 
Indians,  and  at  once  joined  a  company  to  go  into  the  mountains  in  pursuit 
of  the  red  men.  The  expedition  lasted  three  weeks,  in  which  time  three 
men  of  the  party  were  killed  and  Mr.  Ryan  was  wounded. 

Not  long  after  this  he  started  eastward,  going  down  the  Missouri  and 
Mississippi  rivers  to  the  state  of  Mississippi.  There  he  recovered  his  health, 
which  had  been  impaired  in  the  mines,  and  when  he  had  regained  his  strength 
he  secured  a  position  on  the  Mississippi  levees.  In  April,  1866,  he  again 
started  for  Colorado,  but  at  Fort  Riley  he  learned  that  the  Indians  were  on 
the  war-path,  and  were  occasioning  such  trouble  that  he  returned  to  St. 
Louis  and  thence  made  his  way  to  his  native  town  of  Stanwich,  Connecti- 
cut. Soon  afterward,  however,  he  came  to  Port  Chester,  where  he  secured 
a  position  as  a  farm  hand,  and  also  gave  some  attention  to  the  improvement 
of  his  education.  Subsequently  he  engaged  in  teaching  in  Mamaroneck  and 
Bronxville,  and  in  1870  he  began  business  in  Port  Chester  as  a  dealer  in  mer- 
chandise, coal,  masons'  materials  and  shippers'  supplies.  He  has  built  up  a 
very  extensive  trade,  which  has  grown  from  year  to  year,  bringing  him  an 
excellent  income  as  the  result  of  his  careful  management,  enterprise  and 
straightforward  dealings. 

Since  his  arrival  here  Mr.  Ryan  has  been  an  important  factor  in  the 
public  life  of  the  city,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  prominent  and 
influential  residents  of  the  place.  In  1870  he  was  elected  a  trustee  of  Port 
Chester,  and  held  the  office  for  six  years.  As  a  member  of  the  school  board 
for  many  years,  he  has  done  most  effective  service  in  the  interests  of  educa- 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  987 

tion,  and  for  three  years  he  served  as  president  of  the  board,  during  which, 
time  the  present  school  buildings  were  erected  and  the  present  school  system 
was  inaugurated.  He  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  for  one  term,  was  super- 
visor of  the  town  for  five  terms,  and  was  chairman  of  the  county  board  of 
supervisors  for  two  years.  But  still  higher  political  honors  awaited  him. 
His  marked  ability  and  fitness  for  leadership  led  to  his  selection  for  the  legis- 
lature, to  which  he  was  elected,  in  1890,  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  again. 
in  1891.  He  was  chairman  of  the  committees  on  taxation,  retrenchments, 
public  lands  and  forestry  and  public  roads,  etc.  He  was  the  author  and 
secured  the  passage  of  the  bill  known  as  the  Adirondack  Park  bill,  providing 
for  a  state  park  in  the  mountains.  In  1892  he  was  elected  to  congress,  and 
was  one  of  the  active  members  of  the  house,  serving  on  the  committees  on 
invalid  pensions,  labor,  and  railroads  and  canals.  He  introduced  and  had. 
reported  the  bill  for  the  suppression  of  international  commerce  in  all  prison- 
made  goods;  advocated  the  construction  of  a  cable  to  the  Hawaiian  islands, 
and  the  construction  of  the  Nicaraguan  canal.  He  also  supported  a  measure 
providing  for  the  construction  of  a  canal  from  the  great  lakes  to  the  Atlantic, 
and  from  the  head  waters  of  Lake  Superior  to  the  Mississippi  river.  He  was 
a  candidate  for  re-election  in  1895,  but  declined  the  nomination  in  1896, 
owing  to  the  pressing  demands  which  his  business  interests  made  upon  his 
time.  He  is  known  throughout  the  state  as  a  man  of  pleasing  personality, 
of  courteous  nature  and  genial  disposition,  of  sound  judgment  and  unques- 
tioned business  ability,  and  enjoys  the  high  regard  of  all  with  whom  he  has 
been  brought  in  contact  through  business,  political  or  social  relations. 

In  1875  Mr.  Ryan  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  O.  Malley,  who 
died  in  1879,  since  which  time  he  has  remained  single. 


FRANKLIN  D.  PAGAN. 


Franklin  David  Pagan,  architect.  New  Rochelle,  New  York,  is  one  of 
the  prominent  and  popular  young  men  of  this  place.  He  was  born  in  New 
Rochelle,  May  22,  1871,  and  here  passed  his  boyhood  days,  receiving  his 
early  training  in  the  public  schools  and  in  a  private  school  of  the  town.  His 
father  being  a  contractor  and  builder,  the  son  early  showed  a  taste  for  archi- 
tecture and  was  sent  to  the  Architectural  School,  of  New  York,  where  he 
diligently  pursued  the  course  of  study  laid  down  and  gained  both  a  theoretical 
and  practical  knowledge  of  the  science  of  building.  Returning  to  New 
Rochelle,  he  assisted  his  father  in  the  office,  and  later  they  were  in  New  York 
city.  Since  1890  he  has  had  an  office  in  New  Rochelle,  his  first  office  being 
in  the  Charles  G.  Banks  building,  on  Huguenot  street,  and  his  present  loca- 
tion being  at  No.  211  Main  street,  where  he  has  office  rooms  complete  in  all 


988  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

their  appointments.  He  has  drawn  the  plans  for  many  of  the  best  residences 
in  New  York  city,  New  Rochelle,  Larchmont,  Pelham  and  surrounding  towns 
in  Westchester  county,  New  York.  He  is  doing  a  prosperous  business,  and 
enjoys  the  reputation  of  being  a  first-class,  up-to-date  architect. 

Mr.  Pagan  is  a  member  of  the  New  Rochelle  Yacht  Club,  and  the  New 
York  Athletic  Club,  and  also  has  membership  in  the  Relief  Engine  Fireman's 
Club,  the  "crack"  club  of  New  Rochelle. 


CAPTAIN  SAMUEL  REQUA. 

The  name  of  Requa  has  long  been  interwoven  with  the  history  of  West- 
chester county,  and  to-day  is  borne  by  one  of  the  most  prominent  and 
esteemed  citizens  of  Tarrytown,  Captain  Samuel  Requa.  For  many  years 
he  was  connected  with  the  river  transportation  interests  of  this  section  of  the 
state,  but  is  now  living  a  retired  life,  resting  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  compe- 
tence acquired  through  his  former  toil.  His  paternal  grandparents  were 
Samuel  and  Maria  (Van  Wart)  Requa,  and  the  former  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Tarrytown.  Here  occurred  the  birth  of  his  son.  Captain  Jacob 
Requa,  the  father  of  our  subject,  who  for  many  years  was  captain  of  a  sloop 
which  conveyed  market  produce  from  towns  along  the  Hudson  to  the  metro- 
politan markets.  He  married  Miss  Eliza  J.  Lawrence,  daughter  of  Isaac 
Lawrence,  and  to  them  were  born  seven  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom 
the  following  are  still  living:  Maria,  wife  of  Isaac  Van  Wart;  John  R.; 
Jacob;  Samuel;  Isaac  R. ;  James  M. ;  and  Eliza  J.,  the  wife  of  ex-Senator 
Valentine  M.  Hugson,  now  of  White  Plains,  New  York. 

Captain  Samuel  Requa,  whose  name  introduces  this  review,  was  born 
May  26,  1826,  in  Tarrytown,  where  he  now  occupies  a  pleasant  home.  His 
education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools,  one  of  his  instructors  being 
Allen  G.  Newman,  for  whom  he  entertained  great  respect  and  fondness. 
While  still  a  young  child  the  delights  of  life  on  the  water  appealed  strongly 
to  him  and  many  a  trip  he  took  with  his  father  on  the  trim  little  sloop,  the 
James  Benedict,  of  which  his  father  was  captain.  When  the  son  had  com- 
pleted his  literary  education  he  became  his  father's  assistant  and  thoroughly 
learned  how  to  manage  the  craft  on  which  they  sailed  as  well  as  to  transact 
the  other  business  connected  with  their  trading  ventures.  They  would  col- 
lect the  farm  produce  from  the  various  agriculturists  along  the  river  and  sell 
it  for  them  in  New  York.  Before  his  father's  death,  in  1864,  Samuel  Requa 
became  the  captain  of  the  James  Benedict,  but  soon  afterward  sold  it  and 
purchased  a  propeller,  the  Armitage  Brearley.  In  this  business  he  was  asso- 
ciated with  Captain  Lewis,  and  together  they  carried  on  business  for  nearly 
thirty  years,  when  Captain  Requa  sold  his  interest  in  1893  to  Captain  James 


WESTCHESTER   COUNTY.  989 

Duell.  He  is  now  passing  his  declining  years  in  his  pleasant  home  in  Tarry- 
town  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  well  earned  rest  and  freedom  from  business  care. 

On  Christmas  day  of  1849  Captain  Requa  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Sarah  Brundage,  who  was  born  in  Kensico,  Westchester  county,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Ightmon  Brundage.  Five  children  were  born  to  them  but  only 
one  is  now  living,  the  daughter,  Emma  F.,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  Walter 
A.  Connell,  of  Tarry  town.  Those  who  have  passed  away  are  Millard  F.,  a 
young  man  of  brilliant  prospects,  who  died  in  1882,  at  the  age  of  thirty-one 
years;  Charles  A.,  who  died  in  1871,  in  his  nineteenth  year;  Henry  Clay, 
who, died  in  1893,  at  the  age  of  thirty  years;  and  Ida  May,  an  accomplished 
young  lady,  who  was  called  to  the  home  beyond  in  1886,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-six  years. 

Captain  Requa  gives  his  political  support  to  the  Democracy,  with  which 
he  has  affiliated  since  attaining  his  majority.  He  is  now  serving  as  water 
commissioner  for  the  village  of  Tarrytown  and  is  president  of  the  Sleepy 
Hollow  Cemetery  Association.  He  has  always  performed  his  full  duty  as  a 
citizen,  lending  his  aid  and  co-operation  to  every  movement  for  the  public 
good,  and  his  well  spent  life  has  gained  him  the  friendship  and  regard  of  a 
large  circle  of  acquaintances. 


GEORGE  W.    HARRIS. 


Practical  industry  wisely  and  vigorously  applied  never  fails  of  success. 
It  carries  a  man  onward  and  upward,  brings  out  his  individual  character,  and 
acts  as  a  powerful  stimulus  to  the  efforts  of  others.  The  greatest  results  in 
life  are  usually  attained  by  simple  means  and  the  exercise  of  the  ordinary  quali- 
ties of  common  sense  and  persevering  industry.  The  every-day  life,  with  its 
cares,  necessities  and  duties,  affords  ample  opportunities  for  acquiring  exper- 
rience  of  the  best  sort,  and  its  most  beaten  paths  provide  a  true  worker  with 
abundant  scope  for  eiiort  and  for  self-improvement.  The  subject  of  this  review 
has  attained  marked  success  in  one  of  the  most  important  lines  of  industry  which 
has  potent  and  practical  bearing  upon  the  progress  and  material  upbuilding 
of  any  community;  and  it  is  ever  gratifying  to  note,  as  in  his  case,  a  success 
that  has  been  won  by  well  directed  personal  endeavor,  guided  by  judgment 
and  knowledge  conjoined  to  inflexible  integrity  and  high  business  principles. 

The  Harris  family  has  been  long  identified  with  the  annals  of  American 
history,  the  original  representatives  having  been  numbered  among  the  early 
residents  of  Connecticut,  from  which  state  James  Harris,  the  grandfather  of 
the  immediate  subject  of  this  review,  removed  to  Long  Island,  New  York, 
where  he  passed  the  residue  of  his  days,  being  a  man  of  sterling  rectitude. 
His  son,  John  Robert,    was  the   father  of   him   whose  name   initiates    this 


•990  WESTCHESTER  COUNTY. 

sketch.  By  occupation  he  was  originally  a  seafaring  man  and  was  for 
many  years  a  captain  of  a  vessel  which  plied  the  beautiful  Hudson  river. 
Eventually,  however,  he  abandoned  nautical  pursuits  and  repaired  to  a  farm, 
where  he  was  employed  in  the  capacity  of  foreman  or  manager.  In  his  polit- 
ical adherency  he  was  arrayed  in  support  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  in  his 
religious  views  he  held  to  the  faith  of  the  Baptist  church,  of  which  he  was  a 
devoted  and  zealous  member. 

John  R.  Harris  was  twice  married.  By  his  first  wife  ten  children  were 
born,  six  of  whom  yet  survive,  namely:  Robert  A.,  Andrew  J.,  Sarah,  Lizzie, 
Leonora  and  George  Washington,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  ,  The 
devoted  wife  and  mother  was  summoned  into  eternal  rest  in  1872,  at  the  age 
of  thirty-nine  years,  eleven  months  and  eight  days.  By  his  second  wife  there 
were  no  children.  He  died  on  the  25th  of  January,  1891,  at  which  time  he 
had  attained  the  age  of  sixty-one  years,  ten  months  and  three  days.  He  was 
a  man  of  inflexible  principles  and  sterling  worth  of  character,  being  held  in 
.high  esteem  by  all  who  knew  him. 

George  Washington  Harris,  with  whom  this  article  has  mainly  to  do, 
was  born  at  the  parental  home  on  Long  Island,  on  the  17th  of  November, 
1866,  receiving  his  educational  discipline  in  the  excellent  public  schools  of  his 
neighborhood,  which  he  attended  until  he  had  attained  the  age  of  seventeen 
years.  He  then  prepared  himself  for  the  practical  duties  of  life  by  serving 
an  apprenticeship  of  three  years  at  the  mason's  trade,  at  Greenport,  Rhode 
Island,  after  which,  being  thoroughly  familiar  with  all  details  of  the  business 
and  recognized  as  a  skilled  and  conscientious  workman,  he  was  employed  as 
a  journeyman  at  his  trade  until  1891,  in  which  year  he  engaged  in  contracting 
on  his  own  account,  at  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  where  he  remained  for  one 
year,  after  which  became  to  Mount  Vernon,  Westchester  county,  New  York, 
where  he  has  received  a  representative  patronage  and  built  up  a  most  suc- 
cessful business,  ramifying  throughout  this  and  adjacent  towns,  he  being  one 
of  the  extensive  contractors  and  builders  of  the  county  and  holding  distinct 
prestige  by  reason  of  his  unvarying  fidelity  to  the  terms  of  every  contract  and 
by  his  pronounced  ability  in  his  line.  These  are  elements  that  never  fail  to 
insure  success,  and  Mr.  Harris  has  gained  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  those 
with  whom  he  has  had  dealings,  being  known  as  a  young  man  of  much  enter- 
prise, discerning  judgment  and  genuine  worth  of  character.  He  has  in  his 
employ  about  fifty  men,  and  at  the  present  time  is  engaged  in  extensive  build- 
ing operations  at  Bronxville,  this  county,  where  he  has  secured  contracts 
aggregating  fully  ninety  thousand  dollars.  He  has  been  indefatigable  in  his 
efforts,  and  his  success,  which  has  been  worthily  achieved,  stands  as  an  ear- 
nest of  still  farther  progress  in  his  chosen  field  of  endeavor. 

In  political  matters  Mr.  Harris  follows  in  the  footsteps   of  his  father  in 


WESTCHESTER  COUNTY.  991 

so  far  a  national  issues  are  concerned,  supporting  the  Democratic  party,  but 
in  local  affairs  of  a  political  nature  he  maintains  an  independent  attitude. 
His  religious  faith  is  indicated  by  his  membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  Fraternally  he  is  identified  with  Mount  Vernon  Council  of  the  Junior 
Order  of  United  American  Mechanics. 

On  the  1st  of  June,  1892,  Mr.  Harris  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Maggie  A.  Davis,  of  Laurel  Hill,  Long  Island,  and  their  attractive  home  in 
Mount  Vernon  is  a  center  of  refined  hospitality,  which  is  enjoyed  by  a  con- 
stantly widening  circle  of  friends. 


HENRY  W.   BISCHOFF. 


No  foreign  element  has  become  a  more  important  part  of  our  American 
citizenship  than  that  furnished  by  Germany.  The  emigrants  from  that  land 
have  brought  with  them  to  the  New  World  the  stabihty,  enterprise  and  per- 
severance characteristic  of  their  people  and  have  fused  these  qualities  with 
the  progressiveness  and  indomitable  spirit  of  this  country.  Mr.  Bischoff  is  a 
representative  of  this  class.  He  came  to  the  United  States  a  poor  boy,  hop- 
ing to  benefit  his  financial  condition,  and  his  dreams  of  the  future  were  more 
than  realized.  He  occupied  a  prominent  place  in  the  business  circles  of 
Westchester  county,  being,  extensively  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  ladies', 
misses'  and  children's  shoes. 

Mr.  Bischoff  was  born  in  Minden,  Prussia,  Germany,  November  13,  1834, 
a  son  of  William  and  Wilbelmina  (Steckam)  Bischoff.  His  father,  who  was 
a  farmer  by  occupation,  died  in  that  country,  in  1 841,. but  his  mother's  death 
occurred  in  Westchester  county.  New  York,  in  1872.  In  their  family  were 
four  children:  William,  deceased,  who  was  a  hotel  proprietor  in  New  York 
city;  Henry  W.,  our  subject,  who  also  is  deceased;  Christopher,  who  is  now 
living  retired  in  New  York  city;  and  Wilhelmina,  deceased. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  the  first  twenty  years  of  his  life  in  his 
native  land,  where  he  was  interested  in  the  grocery  business,  first  as  a  clerk 
and  later  as  proprietor  of  a  store.  Crossing  the  Atlantic  he  came  to  West- 
chester county.  New  York,  in  January,  1862,  and  purchased  a  hotel  at  Chap- 
paqua,  conducting  the  same  successfully  for  about  five  years.  He  also  filled 
the  position  of  ticket  agent  for  the  Harlem  Railroad  at  that  place  in  1863, 
1864  and  1865.  Selling  his  hotel  in  1867  he  embarked  in  the  shoe  business, 
in  company  with  R.  Ferrington  and  William  Bird,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Ferrington,  Bischoff  &  Bird,  having  purchased  a  small  plant  at  Pleasantville, 
which  they  removed  to  Chappaqua.  At  the  end  of  about  eight  years  Mr. 
Bischoff  purchased  the  interests  of  his  partners  and  carried  on  operations 
alone  for  three  or  four  years,  the  business  then  being  merged  into  a  stock 
company,  under  the  name  of  the  Chappaqua  Shoe  Manufacturing  Company, 
remaining  as  such  until   1888,    when  our  subject  purchased  the  plant  and 


992  WESTCHESTER   COUNTY. 

again  became  sole  proprietor.  Tiie  business  was  afterward  conducted  under 
the  firm  style  of  Henry  W.  Bischoff,  and  employment  was  furnished  to  from 
one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  hands,  according  to  the  season. 
Except  when  closed  for  repairs  the  factory  is  still  kept  running  all  the  year 
around,  by  the  sons,  and  three  hundred  pairs  of  shoes  are  turned  out  per  day, 
these  being  sold  mainly  in  New  York  state,  Boston,  Massachusetts,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. ,  New  Jersey,  Rhode  Island  and  Illinois.  It  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing industries  of  the  county,  and  by  its  operation  Mr.  Bischoff  materially 
advanced  the  general  welfare  of  the  community.  Since  the  death  of  Mr.  Bisch- 
off the  business  has  been  sold  to  Mr.  Bache,  who  is  settling  up  the  estate. 

He  was  married  in  New  York  city,  in  1858,  to  Miss  Maria  Hamm,  and 
the  children  born  to  them  were  as  follows:  Wilhelmina,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Edward  Johnston,  a  farmer  of  Mount  Pleasant,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren— Henry  W.,  Herbert  and  Roy;  Anna  is  the  wife  of  Richard  F.  Carr,  of 
Chappaqua,  a  custom-house  officer  of  New  York  city,  and  they  have  three 
children, — Frankie,  Robert  and  Walter;  Louisa  is  the  wife  of  William  Bischoff, 
a  real-estate  broker  of  New  York  city,  and  they  have  one  child,  Mildred; 
Henry  W.,  Jr.,  is  the  superintendent  of  his  fathers  shoe  factory  at  Chappa- 
qua, where  he  makes  his  home:  he  is  a  member  of  the  order  of  American 
Mechanics,  and  takes  an  active  part  in  promoting  the  interests  of  the 
Republican  party  in  this  county;  he  is  prominent  in  public  affairs;  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Lola  Crak,  and  has  two  children — Margaret  and  Dorothy;  and 
William  H.,  the  younger  son  of  our  subject,  is  also  a  resident  of  Chappaqua, 
and  is  serving  as  salesman,  collector  and  buyer  for  the  establishment.  He 
has  held  the  office  of  township  clerk  for  three  consecutive  years,  and  is  one 
of  the  rising  young  men  of  the  county.  He  married  Miss  Estella  Quimby^ 
and  has  one  child,  Robert.  The  sons  are  both  inteUigent,  enterprising  and 
energetic  young  men,  who  are  destined  to  make  their  mark  in  the  affairs  of 
the  county.  Their  father  died  November  12,  1898,  and  their  mother  was- 
called  to  her  final  rest  in  1880.  They  were  earnest  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church. 

As  a  business  man  Mr.  Bischoff  gained  an  enviable  reputation.  At  the 
early  age  of  eight  years  he  started  out  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world,, 
and  the  success  that  crowned  his  efforts  was  due  entirely  to  his  industry, 
perseverance  and  good  management.  In  politics  he  was  a  stalwart  Repub- 
lican, was  chairman  of  the  township  committee  of  New  Castle,  and  for  years 
a  delegate  to  various  county  and  state  conventions.  He  filled  the  office  of 
commissioner  of  highways  and  other  positions,  was  postmaster  of  Chappaqua,. 
and  was  appointed  special  expert  witness  on  the  water-shed  by  the  city  of 
New  York;  he  took  a  deep  and  commendable  interest  in  all  things  for  the 
public  good,  and  his  counsel  was  often  felt  in  the  affairs  of  the  county. 
Socially,  he  was  a  member  of  Mount  Kisco  Lodge,  No.  708,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
which  he  was  treasurer  for  the  last  twenty-seven  years  of  his  life.  While  a 
resident  of  New  York  he  was  a  .member  of  Troop  A,  First  Regiment  of  Cav- 
alry, and  was  commissioned  second  lieutenant  by  Governor  Fenton,  resigning 
at  the  end  of  five  years  on  his  removal  to  Westchester  county.  In  all  the- 
■relations  of  life  he  was  always  found  true  to  every  trust  resposed  in  him,  and 
justly  merited  the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held.